Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “levitate” come from?

levitate (English) comes from Latin levo, from Latin levis, from Proto-Italic leɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European h₁léngʰus, from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- — light.

levitate (English): To cause to rise in the air and float, as if in...

Definitions

  1. To cause to rise in the air and float, as if in...

Ancestry of “levitate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinlevoI raise, elevate, lift up; I make light, lighten;...
2Latinlevislight; quick, swift; fickle
3Proto-Italicleɣʷis—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light

Words derived from “levitate”

  • levitation
  • levitator
  • levitational
  • nanolevitation
  • lévitation
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →