aequales

Aequales is a Latin term that functions as the nominative plural form of the adjective aequalis, meaning equal. In classical Latin, aequales is used to describe a group of things that are equal in quantity, size, status, or value, and it must agree with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case.

In taxonomy, the form appears in historical scientific names as a descriptive epithet, indicating that certain traits are equal or closely matched among specimens or species. It is not commonly used as a standalone taxon name in modern nomenclature, but it can be found in older descriptions and Latin summaries of taxonomic relationships.

In philosophy, law, and literature, aequales can appear in Latin phrases referring to the equals or those who possess equal standing under a law or principle. In such texts, it is typically translated as “the equal ones” or understood in the sense of equality.

Related terms include aequalis and aequale, from which English words such as equal and equality derive. The term is primarily encountered in historical Latin prose and scholarly reconstructions of classical texts, rather than as a current technical term in science or law. See also: aequalis, aequale.