Wiktionary

level

See also: Level and levél

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English level, from Old French livel, liveau m, later nivel, niveau, from Latin libella f (“a balance, a level”), diminutive of libra f (“a balance, a level”); see libra, librate. Doublet of libella and niveau.

The verb is from Middle English levelen, from the noun.

Pronunciation

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  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈlɛv.əl/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (UK):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛvəl
  • Hyphenation: lev‧el

Adjective

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level (comparative leveler or leveller, superlative levelest or levellest)

  1. The same height at all places; parallel to a flat ground.
    This table isn't quite level; see how this marble rolls off it?
  2. At the same height as some reference; constructed as level with.
    We tried to hang the pictures so that the bottom of the frames were level with the dark line in the wallpaper.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 14, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
      Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime. Their bases were on a level with the pavement outside, a narrow way which was several feet lower than the road behind the house.
  3. Unvaried in frequency.
    His pulse has been level for 12 hours.
  4. Unvaried in volume.
    His voice has been unchanged. It has been level for 12 hours.
  5. Calm.
    He kept a level head under stress.
    He kept a level gaze.
  6. In the same position or rank.
  7. Straightforward; direct; clear.
    • 1873, Matthew Arnold, Literature and Dogma:
      a very plain and level account
  8. Well balanced; even; just; steady; impartial.
    a level head; a level understanding
  9. (phonetics) Of even tone; without rising or falling inflection; monotonic.
    • 1891, Henry Sweet, A History of English Sounds from the Earliest Period:
      Intonation or tone is either level, rising, or falling, marked respectively
  10. (physics) Perpendicular to a gravitational force.
    The earth's oceans remain level in relation to the pull of gravity.

Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

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level (countable and uncountable, plural levels)

  1. A tool for finding whether a surface is level, or for creating a horizontal or vertical line of reference.
    Hand me the level so I can tell if this is correctly installed.
  2. A distance relative to a given reference elevation.
    By the end of the day, we'd dug down to the level of the old basement floor.
  3. Degree or amount.
    • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.
    • 2013 May 17, George Monbiot, “Money just makes the rich suffer”, in The Guardian Weekly‎[2], volume 188, number 23, page 19:
      In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […]  The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra–wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised.
    The sound level is much too high; this hurts my ears.   We've reached a new level of success.
  4. Achievement or qualification.
    She achieved a high level of distinction.
  5. (computer science) Distance from the root node of a tree structure.
  6. (video games) One of several discrete segments of a game, generally increasing in difficulty and representing different locations in the game world.
    Synonyms: stage, zone, world
    It took me weeks to get to level seven.   Watch out for the next level; the bad guys there are really overpowered.
  7. (roleplaying games, video games) A numeric value that quantifies a character, ability, or item's experience and power.
    My half-orc barbarian reached fifth level before he was squashed by a troll.
  8. A floor of a multi-storey building.
    Take the elevator and get off at the promenade level.
  9. (British) An area of almost perfectly flat land.
    • 1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Oedipus Tyrannus; Or, Swellfoot The Tyrant: A Tragedy in Two Acts:
      The troops grow mutinous—the revenue fails—
      There’s something rotten in us—for the level
      Of the State slopes, its very bases topple,
      The boldest turn their backs upon themselves!
  10. (Singapore, education) A school grade or year.
  11. (statistics) One of the specific values which may be taken by a categorical variable.
    The most common level of the colour variable is red. The other levels are blue and green.

Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → German: Level
  • → Irish: leibhéal
  • → Japanese: レベル (reberu)
  • → Welsh: lefel

Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

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Verb

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level (third-person singular simple present levels, present participle (US) leveling or levelling, simple past and past participle (US) leveled or levelled)

  1. (transitive) To adjust so as to make as flat or perpendicular to the ground as possible.
    You can level the table by turning the pads that screw into the feet.
    • 1939 June, “Pertinent Paragraphs: Pitfalls”, in Railway Magazine, page 456:
      This pitfall, beginning in February and finishing in May, resulted in a drop of about 3 ft. in the platform level; during this period it was necessary to level the track three times weekly, and impose a service slack of 15 m.p.h. The subsidence appears now to have finished, and normal speed is once again permitted.
    • 2020 August 12, “Network News: Four new jacks at Clacton depot”, in Rail, page 18:
      The work involved a complete rewiring of the system, while the addition of four higher-capacity Mechan jacks and the increased length of the new train meant the entire floor (the length of four train carriages) had to be dug up, levelled and strengthened to meet tolerance requirements.
  3. (transitive) To destroy by reducing to ground level; to raze.
    The hurricane leveled the forest.
  4. (intransitive, roleplaying games, video games) To progress to the next level.
    Synonym: level up
    I levelled after defeating the dragon.
  5. (transitive) To aim or direct (a weapon, a stare, an accusation, etc).
    He levelled an accusation of fraud at the directors.  The hunter levels the gun before taking a shot.
    • 1592, John Stow, The Annales of England:
      Bertram de Gordon, standing on the castle wall, levelled a quarrel out of a crossbow.
    • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
      But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶ […] The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window […], and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, little dreaming that the deadly tube was levelled at them.
    • 2023 October 12, HarryBlank, “Fire in the Hole”, in SCP Foundation‎[3], archived from the original on 22 May 2024:
      The force of her horror must have been palpable in the air, because Jorge's eyes opened as she raised the bayonet up. "Fina?"

      "How...?" she managed.

      He sat bolt upright, and swung his feet over the bed. "Fina, it isn't safe here. You need to hide."

      She kept the bayonet levelled on him. "I thought you were dead."

  6. (transitive) To direct or impose (a penalty, fine, etc) at or upon (someone) [with on or against or at].
    Synonym: levy
    • 1809, William Ross (Jr.), Abridgement of the laws of Scotland relating to hunting [etc], page 60:
      If the right of killing salmon belong exclusively to the King, and consequently to his donatories, why has not the Legislature secured the right by levelling penalties against such as should encroach upon it [...] ?
    • 1978, Parliamentary Debates of the New Zealand House of Representatives, page 4955:
      How can the Minister reconcile the first statement with the clause, when he is in fact levelling punishment at the woman and not at the errant father [...] ?
    • 1995, The Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) of the [Great British] House of Lords:
      There is no purpose in levelling fines because they would be merely paid from the £1.8 billion which the BBC collects.
    • 2007, Mary Jacoby, EU investigators endorse charges against Intel, Wall Street Journal Europe, 17 January, page 32, column 5:
      Ultimately, Ms. Kroes [European Union Antitrust Commissioner] could level a fine and order Intel to change its business practices.
  7. (intransitive, sports) To make the score of a game equal.
    Synonym: equalize
    • 2012 April 9, Mandeep Sanghera, “Tottenham 1-2 Norwich”, in BBC Sport:
      Holt was furious referee Michael Oliver refused to then award him a penalty after Ledley King appeared to pull his shirt and his anger was compounded when Spurs immediately levelled.
  8. (transitive, figurative) To bring to a common level or plane, in respect of rank, condition, character, privilege, etc.
    to level all the ranks and conditions of men
  9. (transitive) To adjust or adapt to a certain level.
    to level remarks to the capacity of children
  10. (intransitive) To speak honestly and openly [with with ‘someone’] (see: level with).
    • 2010, James William Jones, Triple Crossed:
      Sean, I'll level with you. This could get ugly. Do you have a gun?

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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etymologically unrelated terms containing "level"

References

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Further reading

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Indonesian

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Etymology

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From English level, from Middle English level, from Old French livel, liveau m, later nivel, niveau, from Latin libella f (“a balance, a level”), diminutive of libra f (“a balance, a level”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈlɛvəl]
  • Hyphenation: lè‧vêl

Noun

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level (plural level-level)

  1. (colloquial) level
    Synonyms: tingkatan, tataran, lapisan

Further reading

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