388: levy Dec 31, 2015

Today, 'levy' means to 'impose a tax', and an archaic sense of the word means to enlist somebody in the military. This word comes through Middle English as a noun from the Old French past participle of 'lever' meaning ‘raise’, where the major change in the definition of this word occurred. The ultimate derivation of this word is from the Latin verb, 'levare', which comes from 'levis' meaning ‘light’, because in the way that taxes rise, so does the sun.