equitable
fair and impartial
Roots
- -able / -ible: able to be, fit to be, or worthy of
- equ / equi: equal, even, level, or fair
Other words with the equ / equi root
- equal: the same in amount, level, or status
- equanimity: mental calmness and balance
- equilibrium: balance; a stable even state
- equity: fairness or justice
- equivalent: equal in value, force, or meaning
- equivocal: ambiguous or deliberately unclear
- equivocate: to speak ambiguously or avoid commitment
Equ gives levelness or equality. Equitable means fair because the scales have been leveled.
The judge looked for an equitable solution, not a clever loophole.
Equitable is fairness with balance inside it. The word often appears when equal treatment and fair treatment are not quite the same problem.
Picture a table being leveled so nobody’s side tips upward. An equitable decision tries to make the situation just, not merely technically even.