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le·vant

(lə-vănt)

intr.v. le·vant·ed, le·vant·ing, le·vants
Chiefly British

To leave hurriedly or in secret to avoid unpaid debts.

[Probably after the LEVANT¹, used as an example of a faraway place to which a person might abscond (perhaps with a pun on LEAVE¹).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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