level

Where does the word "level" come from? It comes from Vulgar Latin libella, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Level’s story begins in Vulgar Latin: libella meant “plumb line, small balance.” A diminutive of 'libra', balance, also the root of 'lb' for pound. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as livel. A tool to check a surface is flat. It reached English by 1300s as level. 'on the level', honest, dates from the 1800s. Today, level means having a flat surface; a position on a scale.

1. Stage 1 · Vulgar Latin · ancient libella "plumb line, small balance", a diminutive of 'libra', balance, also the root of 'lb' for pound.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval livel "carpenter's level", a tool to check a surface is flat.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s level "a levelling tool", 'on the level', honest, dates from the 1800s.