*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of levy

From Anglo-Norman leve, from Old French levee, from lever (“to raise”), from Latin lēvāre (“to raise, lift”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The act of levying. · A conscription action. · A tax paid in money. · A tax in kind.

verb

To impose (a tax or fine) to collect monies due, or to confiscate property. · To raise or collect by assessment; to exact by authority. · To draft someone into military service. · To raise; to collect; said of troops, to form into an army by enrollment, conscription. etc.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Anglo-Norman leve, from Old French levee, from lever (“to raise”), from Latin lēvāre (“to raise, lift”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Unspecified derivation mentionleveefro
  • Derivation mentionlēvōla · to raise, lift

This page abbreviates 6 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "leve"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman leve"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "levee"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French levee"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "lēvō",
        "4": "lēvāre",
        "t": "to raise, lift"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin lēvāre (“to raise, lift”)"
    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "levee#Old_French"
    ],
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      "lever#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "lēvāre",
      "levo#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The act of levying.",
        "A conscription action.",
        "A tax paid in money.",
        "A tax in kind."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "glosses": [
        "To impose (a tax or fine) to collect monies due, or to confiscate property.",
        "To raise or collect by assessment; to exact by authority.",
        "To draft someone into military service.",
        "To raise; to collect; said of troops, to form into an army by enrollment, conscription. etc."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The Spanish real of one eighth of a dollar, valued at elevenpence when the dollar was rated at seven shillings and sixpence.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Contraction of elevenpence.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "links": [
    [
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The Spanish real of one eighth of a dollar, valued at elevenpence when the dollar was rated at seven shillings and sixpence."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Pennsylvania",
        "US",
        "Virginia",
        "obsolete"
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for levy →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bGV2eQ