Where does “Levantine” come from?
Levantine comes from French levant, from Latin levare meaning to raise or lift, ultimately from Latin levis meaning light.
Levantine (English): Of the Levant, the Eastern Mediterranean; Synonym...
Definitions
- Of the Levant, the Eastern Mediterranean; Synonym...
Ancestry of “Levantine”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Levant | An easterly wind, generally in the western Mediterranean Sea |
| 2 | French | Levant | Orient (the countries of Asia) |
| 3 | French | lever | To raise, lift; To rise, stand up; To get up |
| 4 | Middle French | lever | to lift |
| 5 | Old French | lever | to lift; to get up |
| 6 | Latin | levō | to raise, elevate, lift up |
| 7 | Latin | lēvis | light, not heavy |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | leɣʷis | light |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁léngʰus | lightweight |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁lengʷʰ- | light |