levant

levant
—levanter, n.
/li vant"/, v.i. Brit. Slang.
to leave secretly or hurriedly to avoid paying debts.
[1750-60; perh. < Sp levantar to lift (Compare LEVANTAR EL CAMPO to break camp, leave), freq. of levar < L levare]

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Historical name for the countries along the shores of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

It was applied to the coastlands of Anatolia and Syria, sometimes extending from Greece to Egypt. The term was often associated with Venetian trading ventures. It was also used as a synonym for the Middle or Near East. In the 16th–17th centuries the term High Levant referred to the Far East (East Asia). The name Levant States was given to the French mandate of Syria and Lebanon after World War I (1914–18).

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      (from the French lever, “to rise,” as in sunrise, meaning the east), historically the countries along the eastern Mediterranean shores. Common use of the term is associated with Venetian and other trading ventures and the establishment of commerce with cities such as Tyre and Sidon as a result of the Crusades. It was applied to the coastlands of Asia Minor and Syria, sometimes extending from Greece to Egypt. It was also used for Anatolia and as a synonym for the Middle or Near East. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the term High Levant referred to the Far East. The name Levant States was given to the French mandate of Syria and Lebanon after World War I, and the term is sometimes still used for those two countries, which became independent in 1946.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • levant — levant, ante [ ləvɑ̃, ɑ̃t ] adj. et n. m. • 1080; de 1. lever A ♦ 1 ♦ Qui se lève, en parlant du soleil. Soleil levant. Au soleil levant : à l aurore. Rare « dans la clarté douteuse de cette lune levante » (Pergaud). 2 ♦ N. m. (v. 1260) Côté de l …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • levant — 1. (le van) adj. m. Usité seulement dans cette locution : soleil levant, soleil qui paraît au matin. Je serai là à soleil levant, au soleil levant. Le soleil levant regarde cette maison.    Fig. Adorer le soleil levant, faire sa cour à la faveur… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • levant — Levant. adj. v. Qui se leve. Il n est en usage qu en cette phrase. Soleil levant. je seray là à soleil levant. cette colline est exposée au soleil levant. le soleil levant la regarde. On dit prov. & fig. qu On adore plustost le soleil levant que… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Levant — ist der Familienname von Brian Levant (* 1952), US amerikanischer Filmregisseur, Filmproduzent und Drehbuchautor Oscar Levant (1906 1972), US amerikanischer Komponist Ort: Levant (Maine) Île du Levant ist eine Insel im Mittelmeer vor der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Levant — Le*vant (l[ e]*v[a^]nt ), n. [It. levante the point where the sun rises, the east, the Levant, fr. levare to raise, levarsi to rise: cf. F. levant. See {Lever}.] 1. The countries washed by the eastern part of the Mediterranean and its contiguous… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • levant — m. levant; est point cardinal. « Sus l interior, drech a levant, dos palmiers trason son floquet pus aut que lo teulat. » R. Lafont …   Diccionari Personau e Evolutiu

  • Levant — Le vant (l[=e] vant), a. [F., p. pr. of lever to raise.] (Law) Rising or having risen from rest; said of cattle. See {Couchant and levant}, under {Couchant}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Levant — Le vant (l[=e] vant; 277), a. Eastern. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Forth rush the levant and the ponent winds. Milton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Levant — Mediterranean lands east of Italy, late 15c., from M.Fr. levant the Orient, from prp. of lever to rise (from L. levare to raise; see LEVER (Cf. lever)). The region so called in reference to the direction of sunrise …   Etymology dictionary

  • Levant — [lə vant′, ləvänt′] [Fr levant < It levante (< L levans, rising, raising, prp. of levare, to raise: see LEVER): applied to the East, from the “rising” of the sun] region on the E Mediterranean, including all countries bordering the sea… …   English World dictionary

  • levant — levant1 [lə vant′] vi. [prob. < Sp levantar, to start suddenly (as game), lit., to rise, ult. < L levare, to raise: see LEVER] Brit. to disappear unexpectedly, so as to avoid paying one s debts levant2 [lə vant′, ləvänt′] n. LEVANT MOROCCO …   English World dictionary

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