Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “level” come from?

level (Middle English) comes from Old French livel, from Latin lībella, from Latin lībra, from Ancient Greek ζυγόν, from Proto-Hellenic dzugón, from Proto-Indo-European yugóm, from Proto-Indo-European yewg- — to join, to yoke, to tie together.

Ancestry of “level”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchlivel—
2Latinlībella—
3Latinlībra—
4Ancient Greekζυγόνyoke, for joining animals; yoke, burden; in...
5Proto-Hellenicdzugónyoke
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyugómyoke
7Proto-Indo-Europeanyewg-to join, to yoke, to tie together

Words derived from “level”

  • level
  • levels
  • multilevel
  • midlevel
  • microlevel
  • macrolevel
  • runlevel
  • leveller
  • leveler
  • levelly
  • bilevel
  • sublevel
  • metalevel
  • levelness
  • interlevel
  • mesolevel
  • unlevel
  • nanolevel
  • Levelland
  • trilevel
  • nonlevel
  • downlevel
  • relevel
  • levelism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yewg- →