Where does “lever” come from?

lever (Middle French) comes 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.

lever (Middle French): to lift

Definitions

  1. to lift

Ancestry of “lever”, step by step

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

Words derived from “lever”

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