Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “enlevement” come from?

enlevement (English) comes from French enlèvement, from French enlever, from French lever, from Middle French lever, from Old French lever, from Latin levō, from Latin lēvis, from Proto-Italic leɣʷis — light.

enlevement (English): The abduction of a woman or child

Definitions

  1. The abduction of a woman or child

Ancestry of “enlevement”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchenlèvementtakeoff, liftoff; removal, whether by moving, by...
2Frenchenleverto remove, take off, take away, clear; to take...
3FrenchleverTo raise, lift; To rise, stand up; To get up
4Middle Frenchleverto lift
5Old Frenchleverto lift; to get up
6Latinlevō—
7Latinlēvis—
8Proto-Italicleɣʷis—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →