What does egalite mean?
Egalite is the French word for equality and enters English almost exclusively through references to French political culture, above all the revolutionary motto liberte, egalite, fraternite — liberty, equality, fraternity — which became the national motto of France. When English writers reach for egalite, they typically want the phrase's historical resonance: the radical demand of the French Revolution that citizens stand as equals before the law regardless of birth or rank. The word derives, like its English cousin equality, from the Latin aequalitas, built on aequus, meaning level or even. Because it is a foreign borrowing, egalite retains its acute accent and a distinctly continental flavour, giving English prose a touch of rhetorical grandeur. It is a formal word, best suited to essays, historical discussion, and evocations of republican ideals rather than ordinary conversation.
noun"Egalite" is the French word for "equality," used in English chiefly in reference to French political history and to the motto "liberty, equality, fraternity" (liberté, égalité, fraternité). It is occasionally adopted in English as a stylised synonym for social and political equality.
- Equality, especially as invoked in French political contexts such as the motto liberte, egalite, fraternite.
- A rare, deliberate borrowing of the French word into English prose to evoke revolutionary or French ideals of social equality.
"The revolutionaries demanded not just freedom but egalite for every citizen."
"Banners reading liberte, egalite, fraternite hung from every balcony during the anniversary celebrations."
"In his essay he reached for the untranslatable force of egalite rather than settling for plain equality."
Before it became France's national motto, 'liberte, egalite, fraternite' was chanted by revolutionaries who sent kings to the guillotine — all three words are still unmistakably foreign on an English tongue.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of egalite
Egalite comes from Old French, ultimately descending from the Latin aequalitas (equality), itself formed from aequus, meaning level, even, or fair. English already possessed the cognate equality, borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Middle French, so egalite was never needed as a working vocabulary item. Its presence in English is therefore largely quotation: it appears when writers cite the French revolutionary triad liberte, egalite, fraternite, which was formally adopted as France's national motto in the nineteenth century. Related words sharing the same Latin root include egalitarian, equity, adequate, and equator.
How egalite is actually used
In English text, egalite normally appears with its acute accent (égalité) and is treated as a French loanword, often italicised. It carries a formal, rhetorical register and is almost always tied to French revolutionary history or ideals; everyday writing uses equality instead.
Easily confused with egalite
Equality is the standard English word for equal status or treatment; egalite is simply the French equivalent, used in English mainly in French historical or revolutionary contexts.
Egalitarian is an English adjective or noun describing belief in human equality, whereas egalite is a noun borrowed from French meaning equality itself.