Where did this strange word “level” get into the Russian language? Now the media is full of this term. But sometimes its meaning changes from positive to negative, and vice versa. For example: "The military conflict leveled the value of human life." In this case, the term is used as an explicitly negative one. That is, the value of the individual as such is destroyed. But is it possible to equate the terms "level" and "eliminate"? In another case, we read: "The fall of the dollar was leveled by investment injections." Here the term means "smooth". Leveling means neutralizing some negative processes. And the technical literature completely confuses us. It turns out that surveyors and builders are actively engaged in leveling. And they do it with the help of a certain device. That's what it's called - a leveler. Read about the origin of the term, its various meanings and cases of use in this article.
French-Russianmetamorphoses
Some researchers believe that "level" is a German word. But it came to us through the French. In the homeland of the Musketeers, the strict term nivellieren, which meant "to level", began to be used very widely. Thus, two main usage models emerged. The first was very close to niveau - "water level". The term meant the calculation of the difference from some kind of reference point - for example, the level of the ocean. The second word - "niveler" meant "smoothing, elimination of differences, roughness." In Russian, a Slavic ending was attached to a foreign root, and the term began to be used in both meanings. Hence the confusion arose. Well, now let's figure out what it means to level.
Technical term
In geography and geodesy, the word "level" is a very unambiguous term, devoid of any mysterious ambiguity. It involves a process, as a result of which it is possible to calculate the difference in heights relative to some chosen landmark. Most often, such a starting point is the level of the World Ocean. You can level using different instruments: theodolite and tacheometer, barometer and hydrostatically communicating vessels, echo sounders and radars. Builders, when leveling a site for a building, are guided not by sea level, but by a certain cornerstone. With the help of a level and rails, they perform a geometric study of the terrain in order to identify the difference in heights.
To level is to smooth
What do builders do whenit turns out that they will have to build a house on an inclined surface? That's right, they level this area. They tear the earth from a high point and fall asleep on a low level. So instead of the usual slope, a flat terrace is obtained. From the builders, the word migrated to the spoken language. It means "smooth out negative differences", "eliminate unnecessary discrepancies". What synonyms or sayings carry the same meaning? This is also “come to a common denominator in the dispute” (smooth out contradictions in the discussion with the help of compromise mutual concessions). The word is also used as a synonym for the word "alignment". It is also used in a negative way. Here's a simple example: "Inflation cancels wage growth." Here, the saying “an awl on soap” is close in meaning.
To level is to depersonalize
In colloquial speech, the term has taken on a completely radical meaning. The elimination of differences in height differences at the construction site has grown into the destruction of individual traits, depersonalization. The term carries a pronounced negative semantic load. It is used as a synonym for "equalization". For example: "Globalization eliminates national cultural differences." In Russian, there are many sayings that accurately convey the meaning of this concept. Here and “cut one size fits all”, and “bring to one ranking”, and “fit to one color”. Unlike the maxim “Effective measures taken by the Ministry of Emergency Situations neutralized the consequences of a natural disaster for the population”, this meaning of the term can never be used in a positive way.
Zero and destroy
But what about the previously mentioned "leveling the value of human life"? Here the term takes on a new meaning. In this case, “level” means “reduce to zero”, “destroy”. Here the synonym is the term "eliminate", but smoothly, progressively. Here is a simple example: "Over the decade of the current regime, there has been a significant leveling of rights and freedoms." So it's more about depreciation. But not all destruction is negative. In the "elimination" key, such leveling can be applied as a progressive positive process. One can cite the following example: “Mr. imyarek, appointed to the post of head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is called upon to neutralize the negative image of the police among the people.” As you can see, the term is ambiguous, and you need to use it wisely.
