Leverage

How to spell leverage

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce leverage

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does leverage mean?

1. nounThe power to influence a situation or person to gain an advantage, or the mechanical force gained by using a lever.
2. verbTo use something to maximum advantage, or to fund an investment largely with borrowed money.

Leverage in a sentence

• noun

  Owning the patent gave the company real leverage in the talks.

• verb

  The startup hoped to leverage its early data to attract investors.

• noun

  A longer bar gives you more leverage when prying off the lid.

• verb

  Managers were told to leverage existing staff before hiring more.

Where does leverage come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word is built on 'lever', the bar that multiplies force when pivoted, with the noun-forming ending '-age' added in English. 'Lever' itself came through Old French 'levier', from the verb 'lever' meaning 'to raise', which traces back to the Latin 'levare', 'to make light or to lift', and ultimately to 'levis', meaning 'light in weight'. So at its heart the word carries the idea of lifting a heavy load with little effort, which is exactly the image behind its modern figurative use. 'Leverage' first appeared in English in the early nineteenth century as a literal term for the action or power of a lever, then quickly broadened to mean any advantage that magnifies what you can achieve. By the twentieth century it had become a staple of business and finance, where borrowed money 'leverages' a small stake into a large position. The same 'levis' root that gives us a light touch also lies behind everyday words such as 'levitate' and 'elevate'.

How the word is built

• lever (a bar used to raise a load, from Latin levare 'to lift')
• -age (noun suffix meaning action or result)