Level has 23 different meanings across 4 categories:
Noun · Verb · Adjective · Proper Noun
indicator that establishes the horizontal when a bubble is centered in a tube of liquid
"The carpenter adjusted the level until the bubble settled perfectly in the center of the glass vial to ensure the shelf was truly flat."
A tool for finding whether a surface is level, or for creating a horizontal or vertical line of reference.
"The carpenter checked the frame with his level to ensure the new shelf would hang perfectly straight."
In plain English: A level is a flat surface that is even and not tilted up or down.
"The top shelf is too high to reach from this level."
Usage: As a noun, "level" refers to a flat instrument used to determine if a surface is perfectly horizontal or vertical. You should use this word when discussing tools like spirit levels rather than describing a rank, degree, or state of calmness.
To adjust so as to make as flat or perpendicular to the ground as possible.
"Before placing the heavy shelf, he used a spirit level to ensure the wall was perfectly vertical."
In plain English: To level something means to make it flat or even with everything around it.
"The manager decided to level his criticism so that no single person would feel unfairly targeted."
Usage: Use the verb level when you adjust an object so it sits flat or stands upright without tilting. This often involves adding or removing material until the surface is even or a structure is perfectly vertical.
The same height at all places; parallel to a flat ground.
"The surveyor adjusted the tripod until the bubble in the spirit level was perfectly centered, ensuring the instrument's surface was truly horizontal."
In plain English: Level means being at the same height as something else or having an even surface without any bumps.
"The water level in the lake was lower than usual this year."
Usage: Use "level" as an adjective to describe a surface that is flat and even, without any slopes or bumps. It typically modifies nouns like ground, floor, or path to indicate they are perfectly horizontal.
A surname, from French.
"My neighbor Mr. Level always greets me with a polite nod when I walk by his garden."
The word "level" comes from Latin libella, which originally meant a small balance or scale used for measuring horizontal surfaces. It entered English through Old French as both a noun describing a flat surface and later as a verb meaning to make something level.