elevator English · revision 15171

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1646|origins=la ēlevō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈel.ɪ.veɪ.tə/, US /ˈel.ɪ.veɪ.t̬ɚ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|ēlevātor|t=one who raises up]], in Modern Latin a muscle that raises a part of the body,^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) an agent noun from the past participle stem of [[m|la|ēlevō|t=to raise]] (see [[elevate]]),^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) and later uses come directly from the English verb.^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A muscle that raises or moves a limb or organ: 1646 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1640s in Etymonline.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A mechanical lift, at first for grain, is from 1787, chiefly in North America.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) A part of an insect's feelers was an elevator from 1826.^(OED 1989) Shoe lifts were elevators from 1940,^(Etymonline) and ''elevator music'', bland background music, is attested by 1963.^(Etymonline) In Britain the lift for people is usually called a [[lift]].^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1646 – a raising muscle.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1787 – a mechanical lift.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1826 – part of an insect's feelers.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1940 – elevator shoes.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1963 – elevator music.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(chiefly US, Canada)'' A platform or compartment raised and lowered in a vertical shaft to carry people or goods; a lift.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(chiefly US)'' A hoist for raising grain or coal, often a chain of scoops on a [[conveyor belt]].^(Collins 2023)

+ # A movable [[control surface]] of an aircraft.^(AHD)

+ # ''(anatomy)'' A muscle that raises a part of the body.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ # A person or thing that elevates.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[elevon]]

+ * [[elevator music]]

+ * [[elevator shoe]]

+ * [[grain elevator]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[elevate]]

+ * [[elevation]]

+ * [[lever]]

+ * [[levity]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}