Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “leverage” come from?

Leverage comes from English lever, from French lever, from Latin levare meaning to lift, derived from Latin levis meaning light in weight, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lewh₃-.

leverage (English): A force compounded by means of a lever rotating...

Definitions

  1. A force compounded by means of a lever rotating...

Ancestry of “leverage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishleverA crowbar; A rigid piece which is capable of...
2FrenchleverTo raise, lift; To rise, stand up; To get up
3Middle Frenchleverto lift
4Old Frenchleverto lift; to get up
5Latinlevō—
6Latinlēvis—
7Proto-Italicleɣʷis—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light

Words derived from “leverage”

  • deleverage
  • overleverage
  • leverageable
  • leverager
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →