| 释义 |
lever
I. \ˈlevə(r), ˈlēv-\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English lever, levour, from Old French levier, from lever to raise, from Latin levare; akin to Latin levis light, having little weight — more at light
1.
a. : a bar used for prying or dislodging something : crowbar
b. : any means, instrument, or agency used for achieving a purpose (as by inducing or compelling action or providing motive) : tool
< attempts to use food as a political lever — Time >
< could use the girl's action as a lever to make her lawyer … turn over the letters — Erle Stanley Gardner >
< others misuse the interview as a lever to force the employee to resign — R.S.Brown >
< shies away from reflection … and seeks out the levers of power — and those who control them — Dwight Macdonald >
2.
a. : a rigid piece that transmits and modifies force or motion when forces are applied at two points and it turns about a third; specifically : 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 the application of a force at a second and turning at a third on a fulcrum
b. : a projecting piece by which a mechanism is operated or adjusted
< gearshift lever >
< to increase speed move the starting lever to the right >
3. : lever tumbler
4. : a supported or hanging position in which a gymnast's body while extended or bent at right angles at the hips is held parallel to the floor
II. verb
(levered ; levered ; levering \-v(ə)riŋ\ ; levers)
intransitive verb
1. : to pry or work with or as if with a lever
< levering at the rock — F.V.W.Mason >
2. : to operate a lever
transitive verb
1. : to pry, raise, or move with or as if with a lever
< levered the other boot off with his bare toes — Richard Llewellyn >
< like every alliance … it can be levered into action only with difficulty — A.A.Berle >
2. : to operate as a lever
< levers the throttles back until the engines are turning out 44 inches at 2400 revolutions — Richard Thruelsen > |