Lever

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lever \Lev"er\ (l[=e]"v[~e]r), a. [Old compar. of leve or lief.]
     More agreeable; more pleasing. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {To be lever than}. See {Had as lief}, under {Had}.
        [1913 Webster]



From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lever \Lev"er\, adv.
     Rather. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           For lever had I die than see his deadly face.
                                                    --Spenser.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lever \Le"ver\ (l[=e]"v[~e]r or l[e^]v"[~e]r; 277), n. [OE.
     levour, OF. leveor, prop., a lifter, fr. F. lever to raise,
     L. levare; akin to levis light in weight, E. levity, and
     perh. to E. light not heavy: cf. F. levier. Cf. {Alleviate},
     {Elevate}, {Leaven}, {Legerdemain}, {Levee}, {Levy}, n.]
     1. (Mech.) A rigid piece which is capable of turning about
        one point, or axis (the fulcrum), and in which are two or
        more other points where forces are applied; -- used for
        transmitting and modifying force and motion. Specif., a
        bar of metal, wood, or other rigid substance, used to
        exert a pressure, or sustain a weight, at one point of its
        length, by receiving a force or power at a second, and
        turning at a third on a fixed point called a fulcrum. It
        is usually named as the first of the six mechanical
        powers, and is of three kinds, according as either the
        fulcrum F, the weight W, or the power P, respectively, is
        situated between the other two, as in the figures.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Mach.)
        (a) A bar, as a capstan bar, applied to a rotatory piece
            to turn it.
        (b) An arm on a rock shaft, to give motion to the shaft or
            to obtain motion from it.
            [1913 Webster]
  
     {Compound lever}, a machine consisting of two or more levers
        acting upon each other.
  
     {Lever escapement}. See {Escapement}.
  
     {Lever jack}. See {Jack}, n., 5.
  
     {Lever watch}, a watch having a vibrating lever to connect
        the action of the escape wheel with that of the balance.
        
  
     {Universal lever}, a machine formed by a combination of a
        lever with the wheel and axle, in such a manner as to
        convert the reciprocating motion of the lever into a
        continued rectilinear motion of some body to which the
        power is applied.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  lever
       n 1: a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
       2: a simple machine that gives a mechanical advantage when
          given a fulcrum
       3: a flat metal tumbler in a lever lock [syn: {lever tumbler}]
       v : to move or force, especially in an effort to get something
           open; "The burglar jimmied the lock", "Raccoons managed
           to pry the lid off the garbage pail" [syn: {pry}, {prise},
            {prize}, {jimmy}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  73 Moby Thesaurus words for "lever":
     Charlie McCarthy, agent, ancilla, appliance, bar, beam, boom,
     cant hook, claw bar, contrivance, crab, crane, crank, creature,
     crow, crowbar, derrick, device, dummy, dupe, erector, forklift,
     gantry crane, get a foothold, get leverage, go-between, handmaid,
     handmaiden, handspike, hoist, hydraulic tailgate, implement,
     instrument, interagent, intermediary, intermediate, intermedium,
     iron crow, jack, jackscrew, jimmy, lift, lifter, limb,
     marlinespike, mechanism, mediator, medium, midwife, minion, organ,
     outrigger, pawn, peavey, pedal, pinch bar, plaything, prize, pry,
     puppet, ripping bar, servant, slave, spar, stooge, tackle, tool,
     toy, treadle, vehicle, wedge, windlass, wrecking bar