Lever
Middle English: from Old French levier, leveor, from lever ‘to lift’.
wiktionary
From Middle English lever, levore, levour, from Old French leveor, leveur(“a lifter, lever (also Old French and French levier)”), from Latin levātor(“a lifter”), from levō(“to raise”); see levant. Compare alleviate, elevate, leaven.
From Middle English lever, comparative of leve, leef(“dear, beloved, lief”), equivalent to lief + -er. Related to German lieber(“rather”).
Borrowed from French lever.
etymonline
lever (n.)
"simple machine consisting of a rigid piece acted upon at different points by two forces," c. 1300, from Old French levier (12c.) "a lifter, a lever, crowbar," agent noun from lever "to raise" (10c.), from Latin levare "to raise," from levis "light" in weight, "not heavy," also, of motion, "quick, rapid, nimble;" of food, "easy to digest;" figuratively "slight, trifling, unimportant; fickle, inconsistent;" of punishments, etc., "not severe," from PIE root *legwh- "not heavy, having little weight." As a verb, 1856, from the noun.
