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]

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