lever

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English[edit]

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Wikipedia

A lever
A lever diagram

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old French leveor, leveur (“a lifter, lever (also Old French and French levier)”), from Latin levator (“a lifter”), from levare, past part. levatus (“to raise”); see levant. Compare alleviate, elevate, leaven.

Noun[edit]

lever (plural levers)

  1. (mechanics)   A rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (the 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.
  2. A small such piece to trigger or control a mechanical device (like a button).
  3. (mechanics)   A bar, as a capstan bar, applied to a rotatory piece to turn it.
    • 2012 March 1, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 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.
Translations[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb[edit]

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.
  2. (figuratively, transitive) To use, operate like a lever.
  3. (chiefly UK, finance) To increase the share of debt in the capitalization of a business.
    • 1989 Jun 26, “Corporate America wants its privacy”, 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,
Translations[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English comparative of leve (“dear”) of Germanic origin (compare German lieb) or lief.

Adverb[edit]

lever (not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) Rather.
Translations[edit]
rather — see rather

Etymology 3[edit]

From French lever.

Noun[edit]

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, Tim Blanning, "The reinvention of the night", Times Literary Supplement, 21 Sep 2011:
      Louis XIV’s day began with a lever at 9 and ended (officially) at around midnight.

External links[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Danish[edit]

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia da

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /levər/, [lewˀɐ]

Noun[edit]

lever c (singular definite leveren, plural indefinite levere)

  1. liver
Inflection[edit]
Inflection of lever
common
gender		 Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative lever leveren levere leverne
genitive levers leverens leveres levernes

Etymology 2[edit]

See leve (“to live”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /leːvər/, [ˈleːvɐ]

Verb[edit]

lever

  1. present tense of leve

Etymology 3[edit]

See levere (“to deliver”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /lever/, [leˈveˀɐ]

Verb[edit]

lever or levér

  1. Imperative of levere.

Dutch[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle Dutch levere, from Old Dutch *livara, from Proto-Germanic *librō. Cognate with English liver, German Leber, Swedish lever.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • Hyphenation: le‧ver

Noun[edit]

lever f (plural levers, diminutive levertje n)

  1. (anatomy) The organ liver
  2. An edible animal liver as a dish or culinary ingredient
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

lever

  1. first-person singular present indicative of leveren
  2. imperative of leveren

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin levāre, present active infinitive of lēvō (“to elevate”), from levis (“light, not heavy”)

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

lever

  1. (transitive) to raise, to lift
  2. (reflexive) to rise
  3. (reflexive) to get up (out of bed)
    Je me lève, je me lave.
    I get up, I wash.
  4. (reflexive, of fog, rain and etc) to clear, to lift

Antonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Conjugation[edit]

  • This verb is conjugated mostly like the regular -er verbs (parler and chanter and so on), but the -e- /ə/ of the second-to-last syllable becomes -è- /ɛ/ when the next vowel is a silent or schwa -e-. For example, in the third-person singular present indicative, we have il lève rather than *il leve. Other verbs conjugated this way include acheter and mener. Related but distinct conjugations include those of appeler and préférer.
   Conjugation of lever (see also Appendix:French verbs)
simple compound
infinitive lever avoir or être levé
gerund en levant en ayant levé or en étant levé
present participle levant
past participle levé
person singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il nous vous ils
simple
tenses		 present lève lèves lève levons levez lèvent
imperfect levais levais levait levions leviez levaient
past historic1 levai levas leva levâmes levâtes levèrent
future lèverai lèveras lèvera lèverons lèverez lèveront
conditional lèverais lèverais lèverait lèverions lèveriez lèveraient
compound
tenses		 present perfect Use the present tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
pluperfect Use the imperfect tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
past anterior1 Use the past historic tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
future perfect Use the future tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
conditional perfect Use the conditional tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il que nous que vous qu’ils
simple
tenses		 present lève lèves lève levions leviez lèvent
imperfect1 levasse levasses levât levassions levassiez levassent
compound
tenses		 past Use the present subjunctive of avoir or être followed by the past participle
pluperfect1 Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir or être followed by the past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
— lève — levons levez —
1literary tenses

Noun[edit]

lever m (plural levers)

  1. the act of getting up in the morning

Anagrams[edit]

Hungarian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

le- + ver

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈlɛvɛr/
  • Hyphenation: le‧ver

Verb[edit]

lever

  1. (transitive) To knock down

Latin[edit]

Verb[edit]

lēver

  1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of levo

Middle English[edit]

Adverb[edit]

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 Cantebury 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.

Norwegian[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

lever

  1. (anatomy) A liver
Inflection[edit]
    Inflection of lever
indefinite singular definite singular indefinite plural definite plural
Bokmål m lever leveren levere/levre/levrer leverne/levrene
Bokmål f lever levra levre/levrer levrene
Nynorsk f lever levra levrar levrane

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

lever

  1. present tense of leve, leva (Nynorsk)

Old French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Latin lēvō

Verb[edit]

lever

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

Conjugation[edit]

  • This verb conjugates the same as other verbs ending -er, apart from an extra 'i' is inserted in some of the conjugated forms. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
   Conjugation of lever (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)
simple compound
infinitive lever avoir levé
gerund en levant Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle
present participle levant
past participle levé
person singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative jeo, jou tu il nos, nous vos, vous ils
simple
tenses		 present leve, lieve leves, lieves leve, lieve levons levez, levés levent, lievent
imperfect levoe, leveie, levoie levoes, leveies, levoies levot, leveit, levoit levions, leviions leviez, leviiez levoent, levient, levoient
past historic leva levas leva levames levastes leverent
future leverai leveras levera leverons leverez, levereiz leveront
conditional leveroe, levereie, leveroie leveroes, levereied, leveroied leverot, levereie, leveroie leverions, leveriions leveriez, leveriiez leveroent, levereient, leveroient
compound
tenses		 present perfect Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle
pluperfect Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle
past anterior Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle
future perfect Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle
conditional perfect Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle
subjunctive que jeo, jou que tu qu’il que nos, nous que vos, vous qu’ils
simple
tenses		 present leve, lieve leves, lieves leve, lieve levons levez levent, lievent
imperfect levasse levasses levast levissons levissez, levissiez levassent
compound
tenses		 past Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
pluperfect Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
imperative – tu – nos, nous vos, vous –
— leve, lieve — levons levez —

Descendants[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

lever c

  1. (anatomy) a liver
Declension[edit]
Declension of lever
singular plural
Common indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative lever || levern || levrar || levrarna
genitive levers || leverns || levrars || levrarnas

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

lever

  1. present tense of leva.
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