lever - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

A lever

A lever diagram

From Middle English lever, levore, levour, from Old French leveor, leveur (“a lifter, lever (also Old French and French levier)”), from Latin levātor (“a lifter”), from levō (“to raise”). Doublet of levator.

lever (plural levers)

  1. (mechanics) A rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; — used for transmitting and modifying force and motion.
    1. Specifically, a bar of metal, wood or other rigid substance, used to exert a pressure, or sustain a weight, at one point of its length, by receiving a force or power at a second, and turning at a third on a fixed point called a fulcrum. It is usually named as the first of the six mechanical powers, and is of three kinds, according as either the fulcrum F, the weight W, or the power P, respectively, is situated between the other two, as in the figures.
      • 1952 September, “Modernised Pull-and-Push Trains”, in Railway Magazine, page 617:
        Retractable steps and handrails are provided on each side of the cars. The steps, which are under the control of the guard, are operated by hand levers in the entrance vestibule.
  2. A small such piece to trigger or control a mechanical device (like a switch or a button).
  3. (mechanics) A bar, as a capstan bar, applied to a rotatory piece to turn it.
    • 2012 March, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist‎[1], volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3:
      A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place.
  4. (mechanics) An arm on a rock shaft, to give motion to the shaft or to obtain motion from it.
  5. (obsolete, except in generalized senses below) A crowbar.
    • 1613, John Marston, William Barksted, The Insatiate Countess, IV.1:
      My lord, I brained him with a lever my neighbour lent me, and he stood by and cried, ‘Strike home, old boy!’

rigid piece

small such piece to trigger or control a mechanical device

lever (third-person singular simple present levers, present participle levering, simple past and past participle levered)

  1. (transitive) To move with a lever.
    With great effort and a big crowbar I managed to lever the beam off the floor.
    • 1938 April, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter VII, in Homage to Catalonia, London: Secker & Warburg, →OCLC:
      Someone found a pick and levered a burst plank out of the floor, and in a few minutes we had got a fire alight and our drenched clothes were steaming.
  2. (figuratively, transitive) To use, operate or move (something) like a lever (physically).
    • 1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 150:
      Sullen now, with stultified spleen, Mrs Dibble grappled her crutches and levered herself upright after an ungainly struggle.
    • 1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Vintage International, published 2001, Part Two, Chapter 1:
      Suddenly he had levered himself up from the sofa, rocking the lame man violently, and was walking towards the receptionist.
    • 2023 October 12, HarryBlank, “Fire in the Hole”, in SCP Foundation‎[2], archived from the original on 22 May 2024:
      The guard at the door coughed up blood, and died instantly. Fina was carrying an empty rifle with a sharpened bayonet, and she'd thrust it straight up through his neck, severing the spinal cord. She levered him off the front stoop and into the bushes, then stood up on the tips of her toes to peer through the window in the door.
  3. (figuratively, transitive) To use (something) like a lever (in an abstract sense).
    • 2001 April 9, Joshua Cooper Ramo, “Bagging the Butcher”, in Time:
      He was a man who levered his way from small-time communist hack to political power by tapping into the most potent vein of historical juice in the Balkans: nationalism.
    • 2013 December 8, Robert McCrum, “Biographies of the year — review”, in The Guardian:
      Credited with pioneering the detective novel, Collins has attracted many biographers over the years, drawn to his extraordinary life and work in the hope of levering open a new understanding of the Victorian psyche.
  4. (chiefly UK, finance) To increase the share of debt in the capitalization of a business.
    • 1989 June 26, “Corporate America wants its privacy”, in Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
      "The equity holders want you to 'lever up,' use as much debt as you can," said David Stanley, chairman of Kansas City-based Payless Cashways,

to move with a lever

From Middle English lever, comparative of leve, leef (“dear, beloved, lief”), equivalent to lief +‎ -er. Related to German lieber (“rather”).

lever (not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) Rather.
    • [1545?], John Heywood, The Playe Called The Foure PP […], London: […] Wyllyam Myddylton, →OCLC; reprinted as John S. Farmer, editor, The Play Called The Four PP […] (The Tudor Facsimile Texts), London; Edinburgh: […] T. C. & E. C. Jack, […], 1908, →OCLC, signature [E.ii.], verso:
      The wolde ſome mayſter perhappes clowt ye / But as for me ye nede nat doute ye / For I had leuer be without ye / Then haue ſuche beſyneſſe aboute ye.

Borrowed from French lever.

lever (plural levers)

  1. (rare) A levee.
    • 1742, Miss Robinson, Mrs. Delany's Letters, II.191:
      We do not appear at Phœbus's Levér.
    • 2011 September 21, Tim Blanning, “The reinvention of the night”, in Times Literary Supplement:
      Louis XIV’s day began with a lever at 9 and ended (officially) at around midnight.
  1. ^ “lever”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ^ “lever”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  3. ^ “lever”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.

From Old Danish liuær, from Old Norse lifr, from Proto-Germanic *librō, cognate with English liver and German Leber. The Germanic word may be an irregular remodelling of the Proto-Indo-European word for "liver", *yókʷr̥, cf. Ancient Greek ἧπαρ (hêpar) and Latin iecur.

lever c (singular definite leveren, plural indefinite levere)

  1. liver

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

lever

  1. present of leve

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

lever or levér

  1. imperative of levere

From Middle Dutch lēvere, from Old Dutch *levara, from Proto-West Germanic *libru, from Proto-Germanic *librō.

lever f (plural levers, diminutive levertje n)

  1. liver
  2. edible animal liver as a dish or culinary ingredient

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

lever

  1. inflection of leveren:
    1. first-person singular present indicative
    2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
    3. imperative

Inherited from Middle French lever, from Old French lever, from Latin levāre (“to lift; to lighten, relieve”), from levis (“light, not heavy”).

lever

  1. (transitive) to raise, lift
    Antonym: baisser
  2. (reflexive) to rise, stand up
    Antonym: s'abaisser
  3. (reflexive, of celestial bodies) to rise, come up
    Antonym: se coucher
    Le Soleil se lève à l'est et se couche à l'ouest. ― The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
  4. (reflexive) to get up (out of bed)
    Antonyms: se coucher, s'allonger
    Je me lève, je me lave. ― I get up, I wash.
  5. (reflexive, of fog, rain, etc.) to clear, lift

This verb is conjugated like parler, except the -e- /ə/ of the second-to-last syllable becomes -è- /ɛ/ when the next vowel is a silent or schwa -e-, as in the third-person singular present indicative il lève and the third-person singular future indicative il lèvera.

infinitive simple lever
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple levant/lə.vɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle levé/lə.ve/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simpletenses) present lève/lɛv/ lèves/lɛv/ lève/lɛv/ levons/lə.vɔ̃/ levez/lə.ve/ lèvent/lɛv/
imperfect levais/lə.vɛ/ levais/lə.vɛ/ levait/lə.vɛ/ levions/lə.vjɔ̃/ leviez/lə.vje/ levaient/lə.vɛ/
past historic2 levai/lə.ve/ levas/lə.va/ leva/lə.va/ levâmes/lə.vam/ levâtes/lə.vat/ levèrent/lə.vɛʁ/
future lèverai/lɛ.vʁe/ or /le.vʁe/ lèveras/lɛ.vʁa/ or /le.vʁa/ lèvera/lɛ.vʁa/ or /le.vʁa/ lèverons/lɛ.vʁɔ̃/ or /le.vʁɔ̃/ lèverez/lɛ.vʁe/ or /le.vʁe/ lèveront/lɛ.vʁɔ̃/ or /le.vʁɔ̃/
conditional lèverais/lɛ.vʁɛ/ or /le.vʁɛ/ lèverais/lɛ.vʁɛ/ or /le.vʁɛ/ lèverait/lɛ.vʁɛ/ or /le.vʁɛ/ lèverions/lɛ.və.ʁjɔ̃/ or /le.və.ʁjɔ̃/ lèveriez/lɛ.və.ʁje/ or /le.və.ʁje/ lèveraient/lɛ.vʁɛ/ or /le.vʁɛ/
(compoundtenses) present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simpletenses) present lève/lɛv/ lèves/lɛv/ lève/lɛv/ levions/lə.vjɔ̃/ leviez/lə.vje/ lèvent/lɛv/
imperfect2 levasse/lə.vas/ levasses/lə.vas/ levât/lə.va/ levassions/lə.va.sjɔ̃/ levassiez/lə.va.sje/ levassent/lə.vas/
(compoundtenses) past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — lève/lɛv/ — levons/lə.vɔ̃/ levez/lə.ve/ —
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

lever m (plural levers)

  1. the act of getting up in the morning

le- +‎ ver

lever

  1. (transitive) to knock down

Conjugation of lever

Click for archaic forms 1st person sg 2nd person sg_informal_ 3rd person sg,2nd p. sg formal 1st person pl 2nd person pl_informal_ 3rd person pl,2nd p. pl formal
indica­tive indica­tive pre­sent indef. leverek leversz lever leverünk levertek levernek
def. leverem levered leveri leverjük leveritek leverik
2nd obj leverlek
past indef. levertem levertél levert levertünk levertetek levertek
def. levertem leverted leverte levertük levertétek leverték
2nd obj levertelek
future Future is expressed with a present-tense verb with a completion-marking prefix and/or a time adverb, or—more explicitly—with the infinitive plus the conjugated auxiliary verb fog, e.g. le fog verni.
archaicpreterite indef. leverék leverél levere leverénk leverétek leverének
def. leverém leveréd leveré leverénk leverétek leverék
2nd obj leverélek
archaic past Two additional past tenses: the present and the (current) past forms followed by vala (volt), e.g. lever vala, levert vala/volt.
archaic future indef. leverendek leverendesz leverend leverendünk leverendetek leverendenek
def. leverendem leverended leverendi leverendjük leverenditek leverendik
2nd obj leverendelek
condi­tional pre­sent indef. levernék levernél leverne levernénk levernétek levernének
def. leverném levernéd leverné levernénk (or levernők) levernétek levernék
2nd obj levernélek
past Indicative past forms followed by volna, e.g. levert volna
sub­junc­tive sub­junc­tive pre­sent indef. leverjek leverj orleverjél leverjen leverjünk leverjetek leverjenek
def. leverjem leverd orleverjed leverje leverjük leverjétek leverjék
2nd obj leverjelek
(archaic) past Indicative past forms followed by légyen, e.g. levert légyen
infinitive leverni levernem leverned levernie levernünk levernetek leverniük
otherforms verbal noun present part. past part. future part. adverbial participle causative
leverés leverő levert leverendő leverve (levervén) leveret
The archaic passive conjugation had the same -(t)at/-(t)et suffix as the causative, followed by -ik in the 3rd-person singular(and the concomitant changes in conditional and subjunctive mostly in the 1st- and 3rd-person singular like with other traditional -ik verbs).
The prefix can split from the verb stem, e.g. nem ver le or le is ver.

From Dutch lever.

lèvêr (plural **lever-lever)

  1. liver
    Synonym: ( more common) hati

Borrowed from Dutch leveren (“to deliver”).

lever (active melever, passive dilever)

  1. (colloquial, rare) to send goods; to deliver

lēver

  1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of lēvō

Comparative of leve (“dear”) of Germanic origin (compare German lieb) or lief.

lever

  1. Rather.
    For him was lever have at his bed's head
    Twenty bookes, clad in black or red,
    . . . Than robes rich, or fithel, or gay sawtrie. —The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
    But lever than this worldés good
    She would have wist how that it stood —Tales of the Seven Deadly Sins, John Gower.

lever

  1. alternative form of lyvere (“liver”)

lever

  1. alternative form of lyvere (“living being”)

From Old French lever.

lever

  1. to lift

Conjugation of lever

infinitive simple lever
compound avoir + past participle
present participle1 or gerund2 simple levant
compound present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle
past participle levé
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative ie (i’) tu il, elle nous vous ilz, elles
(simpletenses) present leve leves leve levons levez levent
imperfect levois, levoys levois, levoys levoit, levoyt levions, levyons leviez, levyez levoient, levoyent
past historic leva levas leva levasmes levastes leverent
future leverai, leveray leveras levera leverons leverez leveront
conditional leverois, leveroys leverois, leveroys leveroit, leveroyt leverions, leveryons leveriez, leveryez leveroient, leveroyent
(compoundtenses) present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que ie (i’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ilz, qu’elles
(simpletenses) present leve leves leve levons levez levent
imperfect levasse levasses levast levassions levassiez levassent
(compoundtenses) past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — leve — levons levez —
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679.
2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], op. cit., p. 180).
This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

From Old Norse lifr, from Proto-Germanic *librō, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to smudge, stick”), from *ley- (“to be slimy, be sticky, glide”).

lever m or f (definite singular leveren or levra, indefinite plural levere or levre or levrer, definite plural leverne or levrene)

  1. (anatomy) a liver
  2. liver (eaten as food)

lever

  1. present tense of leve
  2. imperative of levere

From Old Norse lifr, from Proto-Germanic *librō, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to smudge, stick”), from *ley- (“to be slimy, be sticky, glide”). Akin to English liver.

lever f (definite singular levra, indefinite plural levrar or levrer, definite plural levrane or levrene)

  1. (anatomy) a liver
  2. liver (eaten as food)

lever

  1. present of leve

From Latin lēvāre.

lever

  1. to lift (up)
  2. (reflexive, se lever) to get up (get out of bed)

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-v, *-vs, *-vt are modified to f, s, t. This verb has a stressed present stem liev distinct from the unstressed stem lev. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

| | simple | compound | | | | | | | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | infinitive | lever | avoir levé | | | | | | | gerund | en levant | gerund of avoir + past participle | | | | | | | present participle | levant | | | | | | | | past participle | levé | | | | | | | | person | singular | plural | | | | | | | first | second | third | first | second | third | | | | indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | | | simpletenses | present | lief | lieves | lieve | levons | levez | lievent | | imperfect | levoie, leveie, levoe, leveve | levoies, leveies, levoes, leveves | levoit, leveit, levot, leveve | leviiens, leviens | leviiez, leviez | levoient, leveient, levoent, levevent | | | preterite | levai | levas | leva | levames | levastes | leverent | | | future | leverai | leveras | levera | leverons | leveroiz, levereiz, leverez | leveront | | | conditional | leveroie, levereie | leveroies, levereies | leveroit, levereit | leveriiens, leveriens | leveriiez, leveriez | leveroient, levereient | | | compoundtenses | present perfect | present tense of avoir + past participle | | | | | | | pluperfect | imperfect tense of avoir + past participle | | | | | | | | past anterior | preterite tense of avoir + past participle | | | | | | | | future perfect | future tense of avoir + past participle | | | | | | | | conditional perfect | conditional tense of avoir + past participle | | | | | | | | subjunctive | que jo | que tu | qu’il | que nos | que vos | qu’il | | | simpletenses | present | lief | lies | liet | levons | levez | lievent | | imperfect | levasse | levasses | levast | levissons, levissiens | levissoiz, levissez, levissiez | levassent | | | compoundtenses | past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | | | | | | | pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | | | | | | | | imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | | | — | lieve | — | levons | levez | — | | |

From Old Norse hleifr, from Proto-Germanic *hlaibaz.

lēver m

  1. loaf, bread

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gen_sg=lēfs gen_sg_d=lēfsins acc_sg=lēf

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illustration av människans lever [illustration of the human liver]

From Old Norse lifr, from Proto-Germanic *librō, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to smudge, stick”), from *ley- (“to be slimy, be sticky, glide”).

lever c

  1. (anatomy) liver
  2. liver (as food)

lever

  1. present indicative of leva