Equivalent in effect or value to something; meaning essentially the same thing as something else.
From Old French 'tant amount' meaning 'amounting to as much,' combining 'tant' (so much) and 'amount.' It entered English in the 1600s as a legal term.
In law, calling something 'tantamount to theft' can change entire court cases—it's not about literal meaning but about legal and moral equivalence, which is why precise language matters!
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