levitation

[lev-i-tey-shuh n]

See more synonyms for levitation on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act or phenomenon of levitating.
the raising or rising of a body in air by supernatural means.

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Origin of levitation

First recorded in 1660–70; levitate + -ion

Related formslev·i·ta·tion·al, adjectivelev·i·ta·tive, adjectiveself-lev·i·ta·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

mountain altitude ascent acclivity ridge hillock top rise roof platform boost hoist hill uplift heave eminence levitation upthrow

Examples from the Web for levitation

Contemporary Examples

So [his levitation] is sort of a joke but it also feels—it does feel like a way out.
The David Foster Wallace Generation
Seth Colter Walls
April 7, 2011

Historical Examples

From Icarus on down, levitation or its equivalent has been a favorite.
Disowned
Victor Endersby
He is the one animal that has levitation, as will be shown later.
How to Add Ten Years to your Life and to Double Its Satisfactions
S. S. Curry
Yes, gentlemen, here's your death explained, and without any levitation.
The Innocence of Father Brown
G. K. Chesterton
Levitation and ghostly disappearing hands were on every side.
The Silent Bullet
Arthur B. Reeve
Other phenomena occurred, but the chief incident was the levitation.
Buchanan's Journal of Man, August 1887
Various

Word Origin and History for levitation

n.

1660s, noun of action from Latin levitas (see levitate) + -ion.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper