'adequate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'adaequatus,' where 'ad-' meant 'to' and 'aequare' meant 'make equal.'

'adaequatus' transformed into the French word 'adéquat,' and eventually became the modern English word 'adequate' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to make equal or sufficient,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.