levy
[lev-ee]
- an imposing or collecting, as of a tax, by authority or force.
- the amount owed or collected.
- the conscription of troops.
- the troops conscripted.
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- to impose (a tax): to levy a duty on imports.
- to conscript (troops).
- to start or wage (war).
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- to seize or attach property by judicial order.
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Origin of levy
1375–1425; late Middle English leve(e) < Middle French, noun use of feminine past participle of lever to raise < Latin levāre, akin to levis light; cf. levee2
Synonyms
See more synonyms for levy on Thesaurus.com6. draft, enlist, callup.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for levying
Contemporary Examples
Levying sales taxes on Internet commerce would allow many states to tap into a new vein of funds.
The NCAA came down on Penn State for its ‘conspiracy of silence,’ levying a $60 million fine.
Moreover, the debate about levying new sanctions on Iran is likely to produce even greater tension.
Historical Examples
Drinking the sweat and blood of the poor, and levying double your wages.
The Sleeping BardEllis Wynne
But there was bedding and napery, and no one thought of levying on friends.
A Little Girl in Old SalemAmanda Minnie Douglas
The levying contributions from a country by military occupation and force.
The Sailor's Word-BookWilliam Henry Smyth
Funds for the sacred work were raised by levying a tax on public lotteries.
The Story of ParisThomas Okey
This is proposed to be done by levying a duty upon the foreign importation.
levy
- to impose and collect (a tax, tariff, fine, etc)
- to conscript troops for service
- to seize or attach (property) in accordance with the judgment of a court
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- the act of imposing and collecting a tax, tariff, etc
- the money so raised
- the conscription of troops for service
- a person conscripted in this way
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Word Origin
C15: from Old French levée a raising, from lever, from Latin levāre to raise
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for levying
levy
n.
"an act of levying," early 15c., from Anglo-French leve, Old French levée "a raising, lifting; levying," noun use of fem. past participle of lever "to raise" (see lever).
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levy
v.
early 13c., "act of raising or collecting," from Anglo-French leve, from Old French levée "act of raising," noun use of fem. past participle of lever "to raise" (see lever). Originally of taxes, later of men for armies (c.1500). Related: Levied; levying.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper