different between lavant vs levant

English

Alternative forms

• levant

Etymology

Origin uncertain. Possibly from Middle English *lavand, *lavant, lavande, present participle of Middle English laven (“to stream, pour out a stream, wash”), from Old English lafian (“to pour water on, wash, lave, bathe, ladle out”), equivalent to lave +? -and; or from Old French lavant, present participle of laver (“to wash”). See lave.

Noun

lavant (plural lavants)

1. (Britain dialectal) A shallow or more or less intermittent spring.
2. (Britain dialectal) A violent flow or rush of water.

   How it did rain! It ran down the street in a lavant.

French

Verb

lavant

1. present participle of laver

Anagrams

• valant

Latin

Verb

lavant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of lav?

English

Etymology 1

Transferral use of Levant, from French levant. Compare French faire voile en Levant (“to sail eastward”), literally: set the sail with the Levant, an easterly wind that blows in the Mediterranean Sea.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l??vænt/

Noun

levant (plural levants)

1. A disappearing or absconding after losing a bet.

Verb

levant (third-person singular simple present levants, present participle levanting, simple past and past participle levanted)

1. To abscond or run away, especially to avoid paying money or debts.
   • 1885, Sir Richard Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Night 16:

     In a mighty little time their husbands played them false and, taking whatever they could lay hands upon, levanted and left them in the lurch.

   • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses:

     He died of a Tuesday. Got the run. Levanted with the cash of a few ads.

Translations

Etymology 2

From French levant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?v?nt/

Adjective

levant (not comparable)

1. (heraldry) Rising, of an animal.
2. (law) Rising or having risen from rest; said of cattle.
3. (poetic) Eastern.

Anagrams

• -valent, valent, vental

French

Etymology

Participle adjective of lever (“to raise”). Corresponds to Latin lev?ns, lev?ntem (“raising”), in reference to the rising of the sun; compare Italian levante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l?.v??/

Adjective

levant (feminine singular levante, masculine plural levants, feminine plural levantes)

1. (of the moon, the sun, etc.) rising

Antonyms

• couchant

Noun

levant m (uncountable)

1. the east, the orient

   Synonym: orient

   Antonyms: ponant, occident

Verb

levant

1. present participle of lever

Derived terms

• Levant

Further reading

• “levant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• lavent, valent

Latin

Verb

levant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of lev?