Weโve heard a lot lately about coequal branches of government, but what exactly does that word mean? Is it even a word?
Well, yes, it is a word. My Websterโs dictionary defines coequal as โequal with one another.โ Dictionary.com goes a bit further to same effect: โequal with another or each other in rank, ability, extent, etc.โ The bottom line is that โcoequalโ means โequal.โ
Despite this word having been around since the late 14th century, it does not appear in the Constitution.
But Shouldnโt There Be a Hyphen in Coequal?
No, despite what you may have seen, โcoequalโ is not a hyphenated word.
We use the prefix โco-โ a lot to describe relative status, such as when we talk about our co-workers. This prefix can mean a thing is subordinate to the other, that things are together, or โ wait for it โ that the things are equal. If the word after this prefix is โequalโ and equality is what we are trying to stress, the prefix appears superfluous.
If you want to sound pretentious and show you can use fancy words, go for it. But if your goal is to communicate plainly without triggering the reader’s or listenerโs ire, stick with โequal.โ
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