Lever

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈliː.və/

Definitions

1. A rigid bar that pivots on a fixed point to help lift or move objects with less effort
2. A rigid contraption that rotates around a fulcrum allows for the exertion of force to lift or shift objects with greater ease
3. A mechanical device consisting of a rigid beam that pivots on a fulcrum to amplify force for lifting or shifting loads with reduced effort

Etymology: The noun "lever" for a bar that lifts comes from the Latin "levō", meaning "to raise," through the Old French "leveor," a lifter. Latin "levātor" gave English the same word in its older form "levator," so the two entries are doublets: one came through speech, the other through the learned route of Latin texts. English has a second, unrelated "lever" that once meant "more dear." It is the comparative of the Middle English "leve," "dear" or "beloved," the root of "lief," and it is related to German "lieber," "rather." So "I would lever do this" originally meant "I would more gladly do this," a sense that survived in dialect and literary use for centuries. The verb "lever," meaning to move or pry with a lever, is a later development from the noun, and the lifting sense is the one that has come down to modern readers. The two words only look alike by accident, one raising things and the other expressing preference.

Synonyms: handle, bar, crank