Where does “Levant” come from?

Levant (French) comes from French lever, from Middle French lever, from Old French lever, from Latin levō, from Latin lēvis, from Proto-Italic leɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European h₁léngʰus, from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- — light.

Levant (French): Orient (the countries of Asia)

Definitions

  1. Orient (the countries of Asia)

Ancestry of “Levant”, step by step

Levant traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French lever

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchleverTo raise, lift; To rise, stand up; To get up
2Middle Frenchleverto lift
3Old Frenchleverto lift; to get up
4Latinlevōto raise, elevate, lift up
5Latinlēvislight, not heavy
6Proto-Italicleɣʷislight
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light

via Latin levāns

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinlevānslifting, raising

Words derived from “Levant”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁léngʰus →Every word from Proto-Italic leɣʷis →