Word
levant
Phoneticslev·ant
US/ɫəˈvænt/
UK/ləvˈænt/
Definitions
01the region
n. the historical name for the countries along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
n. a historical and cultural region of West Asia, typically comprising Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus.
“Many ancient trade routes passed through the Levant on their way to Europe.”
“Scholars of the Levant often study the complex intersection of Ottoman history and the development of modern nation-states in the eastern Mediterranean.”
Formal
Usage
Usually capitalized as 'the Levant'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02the wind
n. a strong wind that blows from the east in the western Mediterranean Sea.
n. an easterly wind, often strong and moist, occurring in the western Mediterranean Sea and the southern coast of Spain.
“The sailors waited for the levant to die down before leaving the harbour.”
“The levant brought heavy mists to the Rock of Gibraltar, significantly reducing visibility for the incoming naval vessels.”
Technical
Synonyms
Antonyms
03to run away from debt
v. to leave suddenly and secretly to avoid paying money you owe.
v. to abscond or run away, particularly to avoid the payment of a gambling debt or other financial obligation.
“He lost a fortune at the races and decided to levant before his creditors arrived.”
“Having squandered his inheritance on high-stakes wagers, the young lord chose to levant to the continent rather than face his debtors.”
British English · Informal
Usage
Often followed by 'to' a location.
04eastern
adj. a poetic way to describe something coming from the east.
adj. relating to the east; eastern in origin or position.
“The levant sun began to glow over the distant hills.”
“The poet described the levant breeze as a herald of the coming dawn, carrying scents from distant lands.”
Literary · Archaic
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“Past studies had shown Neanderthals expanded south into the Levant and Zagros region roughly 75,000 to 50,000 years ago, while evidence of Homo sapiens populations was also present throughout the region and time period.” “Around 15,000 years ago, the way of life of human communities in the southern Levant underwent a fundamental change.” “Notably, the pomegranate charcoal represents the earliest known evidence of this fruit tree in the Levant.” Etymology
Borrowed from French levant (“rising, sun's point of rising”), form of lever (“to rise”), from Latin levō (“to rise”) (cf. also the present participle levāns), from levis (“light, not heavy”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/levant