Etymology Explorer › Middle English

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

  1. Rather

Ancestry of “lever”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchleveor—
2Latinlevatorsecond-person singular future passive imperative...
3Latinlevō—
4Latinlēvis—
5Proto-Italicleɣʷis—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light

Words derived from “lever”

  • leverage
  • lever
  • levers
  • cantilever
  • laver
  • microcantilever
  • leverman
  • deleverage
  • nanocantilever
  • overleverage
  • leverageable
  • delever
  • laverbread
  • underlever
  • microlever
  • leverager
  • multilever
  • leverless
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →