evene

English

Etymology

From Latin ēveniō (“happen, fall out, come out”), from ē (“out of, from”) (short form of ex) + veniō (“come”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈviːn/

Verb

evene (third-person singular simple present evenes, present participle evening, simple past and past participle evened)

1. (obsolete) To occur; to happen; to come to pass.
   • 1662, Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (Dialogue Two).

     What would evene, if an eagle that is carried by the course of the wind, should let a stone fall from its talons.

Synonyms

• come to pass, occur, transpire; See also Thesaurus:happen

Related terms

• event

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “evene”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• eeven

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English efne (“evenly”); by surface analysis, even (“even”) +‎ -e (adverbial suffix).

The form eve may be by analogy with the variation between eve and even for "evening".

Alternative forms

• even
• efne (Early Middle English); eve (Late Middle English); ȝevyn (East Anglia); evun (Northwest Midland)
• evyn, evyne, ewyn (especially Northern, North Midland); evin, ewin, ewine, ewyne (Early Scots)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛ̞ːvən(ə)/, /ˈɛvən(ə)/, /-vnə/

Adverb

evene

1. Evenly; in a smooth or level manner:
   1. Straight, directly; in a line.

      Synonym: evenly

   2. Flat, level; in a horizontal manner.
   3. (rare) In alignment or row.

      Synonym: evenly

2. Equally, identically, equivalently:

   Synonym: evenly

   1. To an equal degree or extent.
   2. Proportionately, evenly; in equal proportions.
   3. Uniformly, consistently; without variation.
3. Precisely, exactly, just.

   Synonym: evenly

   1. Indeed, actually, in fact.
   2. Properly, moderately; not deficiently or excessively.
4. Fully, totally; in entirety.
5. (rare) Equanimously, calmly, impartially; without passion or bias.

   Synonym: evenly

6. (rare) In even numbers.

Usage notes

• The use of modern English even to indicate an extreme example is unknown in Middle English; it is first attested in the 16th century.

Descendants

• English: even
• Middle Scots: evin
  • Scots: even, een, e'en, ein
• Yola: e'en

References

• “ēven, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “even, adv.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• “evin, ewin, adv.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old English æfne, efne, from Old Norse efni (“material, stuff”), from Proto-Germanic *abniją (“material”).

Alternative forms

• even; efne (Early Middle English)
• eyven (Lancashire); evin, evyn, evyne (Early Scots)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛ̞ːvən(ə)/, /ˈɛvən(ə)/, /-vnə/

Noun

evene (uncountable) (Early Middle English or Northern)

1. (uncommon) Form, nature, shape; the innate character of something:
   1. Capacity, capability; the ability to do something.
   2. Cause, justification, substance; the grounds for doing something.
2. (rare) Resources, means, wealth.

References

• “ē̆vene, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “even, n.²”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• “evin, evyn(e, n.²”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.
• Dance, Richard (2003), “EUENE”, in Words derived from Old Norse in early Middle English: studies in the vocabulary of the South-West Midland texts (Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies; 246)‎^[1], Part B, Tempe, Arizona: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, →ISBN, →OCLC, § 1.1, page 350.

Etymology 3

Adjective

evene

1. inflection of even:
   1. weak singular
   2. strong/weak plural
2. alternative form of even

Etymology 4

Verb

evene

1. alternative form of evenen