Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Origin: tantamount 'something equal in value' (1600-1700), from Anglo-French tant amunter 'to amount to as much'

tantamount

 adjective
     
tan‧ta‧mount

be tantamount to something

if an action, suggestion, plan etc is tantamount to something bad, it has the same effect or is almost as bad:
To leave a dog home alone is tantamount to cruelty.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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