Where does “lever” come from?
lever (Middle English) comes from Old French leveor, from Latin levator, from Latin levō, from Latin lēvis, from Proto-Italic leɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European h₁léngʰus, from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- — light.
lever (Middle English): Rather
Definitions
- Rather
Ancestry of “lever”, step by step
lever traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French leveor
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | leveor | — |
| 2 | Latin | levator | second-person singular future passive imperative... |
| 3 | Latin | levō | to raise, elevate, lift up |
| 4 | Latin | lēvis | light, not heavy |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | leɣʷis | light |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁léngʰus | lightweight |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁lengʷʰ- | light |
via Middle English leef
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | leef | leaf |
| 2 | Old English | lēaf | permission, privilege; permission, leave; leaf,... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | laubō | permission |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | lewbʰ- | to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lēw- | to sound, resound, sing out; to leave |