English
levee
Levee comes from French lever ‘to raise, rise’, from Middle French lever ‘to lift’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁léngʰus ‘lightweight’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁léngʰus‘lightweight’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*leɣʷis‘light’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElevis‘light, not heavy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElevāre‘to lift’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lever‘to lift (up)’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘to lift’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘to raise, rise’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentlevée
- Englishearliest quotation 1826levee
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁léngʰus‘lightweight’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*leɣʷis‘light’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElevis‘light, not heavy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElevāre‘to lift’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lever‘to lift (up)’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘to lift’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘to raise, rise’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentlevée
- Englishearliest quotation 1826levee
Earliest quotation: 1826, William Christy: “The purchaser of a riparious estate under the words…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ- ‘lightweight’
light, lung, obliterate, 11 more
through Latin levis ‘light, not heavy’
relevant, elevator, elevation, oblivion, oblivious, alleviate, allege, elevate, leger, levitation, levitate, levity, unleavened, leaven, 24 more
through Old French lever ‘to lift (up)’
through French lever ‘to raise, rise’
Another origin of levee
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁lengʷʰ-‘lightweight’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁léngʰus‘lightweight’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*leɣʷis‘light’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElevis‘light, not heavy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElevāre‘to lift’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lever‘to lift (up)’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘to lift’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘the act of getting up in the morning’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentlevé
- Englishtodaylevee
Today it means
noun An elevated ridge of deposited sediment on the banks of a river, formed by the river's overflow at times of high discharge.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁léngʰus / levee