equivalere

to be equivalent to

verb eh-kwee-vah-LEH-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin aequivalere, from aequus (equal) + valere (to be worth).

Also means

to amount to

Usage Note

Equivalere is typically used with the preposition a — equivalere a qualcosa ('to be equivalent to something'). It is an irregular verb that follows the pattern of valere and uses essere as its auxiliary in compound tenses. It is more formal than everyday significare or voler dire.

Examples

"Questo equivale a una confessione."

Natural Translation

This amounts to a confession.

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