a. and sb. Also 5–7 equipolent, (5–6 equypolent, 8 equippolent), 6–7 æquipol(l)ent. [a. OF. equipolent (mod.F. équipollent), ad. L. æquipollent-em of equal value, f. æquus equal + pollentem, pr. pple. of pollĕre to be strong.] A. adj.
† 1. Of persons: Possessed of equal power, authority, influence, rank, or personal capacity. Obs.
a. 1420. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 2108. They wolden waite to be equipolent, And somewhat more, unto her husbondes.
c. 1460. Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714), 68. Ther may no gretter Perill growe to a Prince, than to have a Subgett equipolent to himself.
1548. Hall, Chron. (1809), 163. Fewe princes … be to hym comparable or equipollent.
1581. W. Stafford, Exam. Compl., i. 7 b. Being in capacity and memory both els equipolent.
1824–9. Landor, Wks. (1846), I. 393. A maritime power … equipollent on the sea with France.
2. Of things, forces or agencies: Equal in power, effectiveness or validity.
a. 1420. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., xii. 5. The thoughtfulle wight is vesselle of turment, There is no greef to hym equipollent.
1471. Ripley, Comp. Alch., VII. v. in Ashm. (1652), 170. After thyne Elements be made equypolent.
1513. Bradshaw, St. Werburge, I. 291. Saynt Mylgyde the thyrde, of vertu equypolent.
1607–12. Bacon, Ess. Custom & Educ. (Arb.), 368. Votarie resolucion is made equipollent to Custome.
1686. Boyle, Enq. Notion Nat., 143. The Pressure of the Atmospheere, and the resistence of the Bubble [were] by Accident … near æquipollent.
1802. Paley, Nat. Theol., ix. (1819), 111. By the aid of a considerable and equipollent muscular force.
1873. M. Arnold, Lit. & Dogma, Introd. 28. To regard the Bible … as a sort of talisman … with all its parts equipollent.
3. Identical in effect or result; practically equivalent.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., III. 165. To find the Longitude of any place, or some thing æquipollent thereunto.
c. 1730. Berkeley, in Fraser, Life, v. 180. The divine conservation is equipollent to … a continued repeated creation.
1790. Wildbore, Spher. Motion, in Phil. Trans., LXXX. 530. An equipollent parallelopipedon which shall move in the very same manner as the body.
1837–9. Hallam, Hist. Lit., I. I. viii. 435. A uniformity of measure, which the use of nearly equipollent feet cannot … be thought to impair.
1846. Sir W. Hamilton, New Anal. Log. Forms, in Logic II. (1860), 260. The equipollent forms of Limitation or Inclusion, and Exception.
1874. Sayce, Compar. Philol., vii. 276. Equipollent conceptions could be placed side by side in apposition.
b. Of expressions or symbols: Equivalent in meaning.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., II. 13/1. The Greeke word ἀπειρόκαλος is equipollent to Ineptus.
a. 1619. Fotherby, Atheom., II. iii. § 1 (1622), 212. Two Philosophicall termes, in sense æquipollent vnto the very name of God.
1760. Swinton, <>Coin, in Phil. Trans., LI. 865. The characters … were not precisely the same with those of the equipollent letters used in Umbria.
1858. Trench, Synon. N. T. (1876), 299. Ύπέρ shall be accepted as equipollent with ἀντί.
c. In Logic. Said esp. of propositions that express the same thing, notwithstanding formal diversity.
1642. Sir E. Dering, Sp. on Relig., xv. 66. Indefinite propositions are æquipollent to universall.
1656. trans. Hobbes’ Elem. Philos. (1839), 40. Equipollent propositions … that may be reduced purely to one and the same categorical proposition.
1822. T. Taylor, trans. Apuleius, 381. Every proposition likewise, if it assumes in the beginning a negative particle, becomes its equipollent contradictory.
1846. Mill, Logic, II. i. § 2. The original proposition … is first changed into a proposition æquipollent with it.
B. sb. Something that has equal power, weight, effect, importance or significance; an equivalent.
1611. W. Sclater, Key (1629), 337. Are they not equipollents? Ibid. (1612), Ministers Portion, 13. In the Apostles Logicke, a Priest and receiver of tithes are equipollents.
1671. [R. MacWard], True Non-conf., 280. Because we exactly and fully do the equipollent?
1676. Marvell, Mr. Smirke, 30. What is Declared (which is the very Equipollent of what the Author had said…).
1819. Blackw. Mag., IV. 723. ‘Choice set terms,’ for which there is absolutely no equipollent in any of the other languages of Europe.
1858. Gladstone, Homer, I. 420. The word Ἀχαιοί is used … as the simple equipollent of Greek.
1870. Bowen, Logic, v. 136. Its logical equipollent.
Hence Equipollentness = EQUIPOLLENCE 2.
1736. in Bailey.
