Etymograph

English

elevation

Elevation comes from Latin ēlevātiō ‘lifting, raising’, from ēlevō ‘to raise or elevate’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éǵʰ1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éǵʰs1‘out’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*eks1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*leɣʷis1‘light’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElevis1‘light, not heavy’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElevō1
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēlevō1‘to raise or elevate’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēlevātiō1‘lifting, raising’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400elevation1
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1921elevation1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English elevation
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1921, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences: “[…] many of the fen people used what they…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éǵʰWiktionary, English elevationreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éǵʰsWiktionary, English elevation‘out’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*eksWiktionary, English elevationreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*leɣʷisWiktionary, English elevation‘light’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElevisWiktionary, English elevation‘light, not heavy’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElevōWiktionary, English elevation
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēlevōWiktionary, English elevation‘to raise or elevate’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēlevātiōWiktionary, English elevation‘lifting, raising’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400elevationWiktionary, English elevation
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1921elevationWiktionary, English elevation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1921, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences: “[…] many of the fen people used what they…”

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *eks

ex, expulsion, affray, excommunicate, enunciation, 19 more

through Latin levis ‘light, not heavy’

leave, oblivious, alleviate, oblivion, allege, levant, leger, levee, levity, levitate, levitation, 25 more

through Latin levō

relief, relevant, relieve, lever, unleavened, leaven, 22 more

Today it means

noun The act of raising from a lower place, condition, or quality to a higher; said of material things, persons, the mind, the voice, etc.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “elevation”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ / elevation

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