legerdemain
legerdemain
I recently read that "levitate" was associated with "Levi" or "levites"--the Hebrew priestly tribe that carried the Ark of the Covenant. Any truth to this?
"Wherever they burn books, they will also, in the end, burn people." Heinrich Heine
Hmmm...dunno.
But, here's what I could find.
lev·i·tate
Pronunciation: 'le-v&-"tAt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -tat·ed; -tat·ing
Etymology: levity
intransitive verb : to rise or float in or as if in the air especially in seeming defiance of gravitation
transitive verb : to cause to levitate
Main Entry: lev·i·ty
Pronunciation: 'le-v&-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin levitat-, levitas, from levis light in weight -- more at LIGHT
1 : excessive or unseemly frivolity
2 : lack of steadiness : CHANGEABLENESS
ETYMOLOGY:
Latin levits, from levis, light; see legwh- in Indo-European roots
But, here's what I could find.
lev·i·tate
Pronunciation: 'le-v&-"tAt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -tat·ed; -tat·ing
Etymology: levity
intransitive verb : to rise or float in or as if in the air especially in seeming defiance of gravitation
transitive verb : to cause to levitate
Main Entry: lev·i·ty
Pronunciation: 'le-v&-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin levitat-, levitas, from levis light in weight -- more at LIGHT
1 : excessive or unseemly frivolity
2 : lack of steadiness : CHANGEABLENESS
ETYMOLOGY:
Latin levits, from levis, light; see legwh- in Indo-European roots
I thought you might know, Perry.The etymology would seem to speak against this Biblical connection. Anyway, I suppose that you can say that the covenant lifts the people, rather than the other way around.
You're right about the covenant, although the people lifted it frequently and often. When I was a kid, I always felt sorry for Uzzah...
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