lev

1 of 3

noun

plural leva ˈle-və How to pronounce lev (audio) also levs
the basic monetary unit of Bulgaria see Money Table

Lev

2 of 3

abbreviation

variants or Levit
Leviticus

lev-

3 of 3

combining form

variants or levo-
1
: levorotatory
levulose
2
: to the left
levorotatory

Examples of lev in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Oscar, a former board member at Sofia’s Alexandrovska Medical Centre, was accused of draining 178,000 lev. — about $100,000 — from Bulgaria’s National Health Fund through fraudulent reports of non-existent hospitalizations, examinations and treatments. David I. Klein, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Feb. 2022 Some two-thirds of lev loans have been collected into these syndication vehicles. Larry Light, Fortune, 29 Dec. 2019 With that, the lev became a clone of the deutsche mark. Steve H. Hanke, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2018 The lev had collapsed, and the monthly inflation rate had soared to 242%. Steve H. Hanke, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2018 Inflation was crushed immediately, lev interest rates plunged, a hard budget constraint was put on Bulgaria’s fisc, and the economy boomed. Steve H. Hanke, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2018 Its national currency, the lev, is already pegged to the euro, public debt is well below the euro-area average and the EU cap, and the nation runs a budget surplus. Bloomberg.com, 29 Mar. 2018 The Boring Company last year showcased the possibility of moving cars underground on mag-lev sleds, though that concept wasn’t quite a version of the Hyperloop proper. David Z. Morris, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2018 In rapidly ageing Bulgaria, already Europe’s fifth-greyest country, nearly 60% of pensioners are below the government’s poverty line of 321 lev ($196) a month. The Economist, 11 Jan. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lev.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Bulgarian, literally, lion

Combining form

French lévo-, from Latin laevus left; akin to Greek laios left

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lev was circa 1900

Dictionary Entries Near lev

Cite this Entry

“Lev.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lev. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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