Where does “level” come from?
Level comes from Middle English level, from Old French livel, from Latin libella meaning "small balance," derived from Latin liber, which traces to Latin libra meaning "balance or pound weight," ultimately from Proto-Italic louðeros and Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ- or h₁lewdʰ-.
level (English): The same height at all places; parallel to a flat...
Definitions
- The same height at all places; parallel to a flat...
Ancestry of “level”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | level | — |
| 2 | Old French | livel | — |
| 3 | Latin | lībella | — |
| 4 | Latin | lībra | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ζυγόν | yoke, for joining animals; yoke, burden; in... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | dzugón | yoke |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yugóm | yoke |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yewg- | to join, to yoke, to tie together |
Words derived from “level”