Levers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tool or device that is used to lift or move something with the application of force on one end, creating a mechanical advantage
2. An apparatus designed to amplify force or motion by changing the direction of applied effort, often found in various machines and tools
3. A mechanical tool that allows the transmission of force to lift or move objects effectively through a pivot point while requiring less effort from the user

Etymology: "Levers" is the plural of "lever", a noun for a bar pivoted on a fulcrum that multiplies force. The noun shares its root with a word that once meant almost the opposite of "lifting". In Middle English, "lever" also existed as the comparative of "leve", meaning "dear" or "beloved", the same stem as "lief" and German "lieber" ("rather"). That is a separate word that happens to look the same. The mechanical sense comes from Old French "leveor" or "leveur", meaning "a lifter", which descends from Latin "levātor", "one who raises", itself from "levō", "to raise". English took the word as a pointed tool-name, and "levātor" survives as a doublet in English, so the two forms are cousins from the same Latin source. The plural simply applies the usual English "-s" to this noun.

Synonyms: handles, controls, bars