What does equidistant mean?
Equidistant is an adjective meaning equally distant — situated at the same distance from two or more points of reference. A town lying halfway between two cities can be described as equidistant from them; in geometry, every point on a circle is by definition equidistant from its center. The word typically appears with the preposition 'from', as in 'the village is equidistant from London and Brighton'. It carries no emotional connotation and belongs chiefly to mathematical, geographical, and practical planning language, though it appears readily in ordinary prose whenever precise spatial balance matters. Derived from the Latin roots aequus ('equal') and distans ('standing apart'), it entered English in the sixteenth century. Its noun form is equidistance, and the adverb equidistantly is used occasionally in technical writing.
adjectiveSituated at an equal distance from two or more other points, places, or things.
- Located at an equal distance from two or more specified points or objects.
"The hotel is equidistant from both the airport and the city center."
"The new library was built on a site equidistant from all three schools in the district."
"In a Voronoi diagram, each region contains points that are closer to one seed than to any other — boundaries fall where distances are equidistant."
Every point on a circle is exactly the same distance from its center — which means a circle is nothing more than a perfect picture of 'equidistant'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of equidistant
Equidistant derives from Latin: aequus, meaning 'equal', combined with distans (present participle of distare), meaning 'to stand apart' — the same root that gives English 'distance'. The compound entered English during the sixteenth century via scholarly and scientific usage. It shares its components with cognates such as 'equal', 'equator', 'distance', and related terms like 'equilateral'.
Related word forms
How equidistant is actually used
A neutral, largely technical or descriptive term common in mathematics, geography, and everyday planning contexts. It almost always appears with the preposition 'from' when specifying the reference points.
Easily confused with equidistant
'Equidistant' is the adjective describing equal spacing; 'equidistantly' is the adverb form describing how something is done.