Main Entry: ¹le·ver

Pronunciation: \ˈle-vər, ˈlē-\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French levier, lever, from lever to raise, from Latin levare, from levis light in weight — more at light

Date: 14th century

1 a : a bar used for prying or dislodging something b : an inducing or compelling force : tool <use food as a political lever — Time>
2 a : a rigid piece that transmits and modifies force or motion when forces are applied at two points and it turns about a third; specifically : a rigid bar used to exert a pressure or sustain a weight at one point of its length by the application of a force at a second and turning at a third on a fulcrum b : a projecting piece by which a mechanism is operated or adjusted

[lever illustration]