level

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlev.ᵊl/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English level (also livel),^[2][3] borrowed from Old French livel,^[4][5][6] from Vulgar Latin *lībellum,^[5][7][8] an alteration of Latin lībella (“balance, level, plummet line”),^[4][5][8] a diminutive of lībra (“balance, scales, pound”),^[4][7][9] which is of uncertain origin.^[5] Modern French niveau and Spanish nivel come from the same source, altered by dissimilation.^[4][3] It is related to Libra.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

A tool that shows whether a surface is horizontal: 1340, in the Ayenbite of Inwyt.^[5][11][12]

Semantic evolution

From the instrument came “a horizontal condition or position”, probably before 1400,^[5] and “a position marked by a horizontal line”, as in sea level, from the 1530s.^[4][11] A level was a flat stretch of land from the 1620s^[4] and a flat surface from the 1630s.^[4] The figurative sense, a social, moral or intellectual plane, dates from about 1600,^[4] 1609 according to Barnhart.^[5] The adjective “having an even surface” is from 1431^[5] or the early 15th century,^[4] and the verb “to make level” from about 1440.^[11][4] Aiming a gun is levelling it from the late 15th century.^[4] In the 19th century American slang gave one's level best (1851),^[4] and on the level, “honest”, is from 1872.^[4][11] Level crossing dates from 1841^[11] and level-headed from 1879.^[5] Level off was first used in aviation (1920),^[4] level with “to be honest with” is from 1920,^[4] and level up, recorded by 1863, now comes mostly from computer games (2001).^[4] The level playing field became a cliché of business and politics from the 1970s or 1981.^[10][4]

Timeline

• 1340 – the instrument (Ayenbite of Inwyt).^[5][11]
• 1431 – adjective, even.^[5]
• c. 1440 – verb, to make level.^[11]
• 1530s – a position marked by a horizontal line.^[4]
• c. 1600 – a social or intellectual plane.^[4]
• 1841 – level crossing.^[11]
• 1851 – one's level best (US).^[4]
• 1872 – on the level, honest.^[4][11]
• 1879 – level-headed.^[5]
• 1920 – level off and level with.^[4]
• 1981 – level playing field.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A relative position or rank on a scale.
2. A relative degree, as of achievement or intensity.
3. Height or depth; a horizontal line or plane: sea level.
4. A flat horizontal surface, or a flat stretch of land.
5. An instrument for finding whether a surface is horizontal: a spirit level.

Adjective

1. Having a flat, even surface; horizontal.
2. At the same height, rank or position as another.
3. Steady, without sudden changes; sensible.
4. Filled evenly to the brim.

Verb

1. To make flat or even.
2. To knock down or raze.
3. To make equal.
4. To aim a weapon; to direct, as an accusation.
5. (informal) To speak frankly: level with someone.

Word family

• levelly
• levelness
• bi-level
• high-level
• low-level
• top-level
• interlevel

Related words

• Libra
• deliberate
• lira

Usage notes

RHWU compares level, said of what is parallel to the horizon, with flat, which is said of any surface without marked irregularities and of land can suggest lowness or dullness.^[8] Even means free of irregularities without being necessarily level, and smooth refers to the feel of a surface.^[8]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
6. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
9. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
12. ^ Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)