Main Entry: ¹lev·el

Pronunciation: \ˈle-vəl\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, plumb line, from Anglo-French livel, from Vulgar Latin *libellum, alteration of Latin libella, from diminutive of libra weight, balance

Date: 14th century

1 : a device for establishing a horizontal line or plane by means of a bubble in a liquid that shows adjustment to the horizontal by movement to the center of a slightly bowed glass tube
2 : a measurement of the difference of altitude of two points by means of a level
3 : horizontal condition; especially : equilibrium of a fluid marked by a horizontal surface of even altitude <water seeks its own level>
4 a : an approximately horizontal line or surface taken as an index of altitude b : a practically horizontal surface or area (as of land)
5 : a position in a scale or rank (as of achievement, significance, or value) <funded at the national level> <the job appeals to me on many levels>
6 a : a line or surface that cuts perpendicularly all plumb lines that it meets and hence would everywhere coincide with a surface of still water b : the plane of the horizon or a line in it
7 : a horizontal passage in a mine intended for regular working and transportation
8 : a concentration of a constituent especially of a body fluid (as blood)
9 : the magnitude of a quantity considered in relation to an arbitrary reference value; broadly : magnitude, intensity <a high level of hostility>

— on the level : bona fide, honest