Where does “level best” come from?
level best (English) comes from English level, from Middle English level, from Old French livel, from Latin lībella, from Latin lībra, from Ancient Greek ζυγόν, from Proto-Hellenic dzugón, from Proto-Indo-European yugóm — to join, to yoke, to tie together.
level best (English): The very best that one can do
Definitions
- The very best that one can do
Ancestry of “level best”, step by step
level best traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English level
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | level | The same height at all places; parallel to a flat... |
| 2 | Middle English | level | — |
| 3 | Old French | livel | — |
| 4 | Latin | lībella | An as (the tenth part of a denarius) |
| 5 | Latin | lībra | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ζυγόν | yoke, for joining animals; yoke, burden; in... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | dzugón | yoke |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yugóm | yoke |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yewg- | to join, to yoke, to tie together |