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]