Vocabulary Lesson 5
Kennedy Nicholls
In "Harry Potter," the spell wingardium leviosa is used to ___________ objects in the air.
levitate
transitive and intransitive verb
to rise or float, or cause to rise, seemingly despite gravity
Other Forms
levitation-noun
Roots
levis- light (in weight)
Word Origin and History
1670s, "to rise by virtue of lightness," from Latin levitas "lightness,"patterned in English on gravitate. Sense of "raise (a person) into the air" is mainly from spiritualism (1870s).
Synonyms
float
fly
drift
hover
rise
soar
Antonyms
grounded
landtethered
tied down
held down
Choose the sentence in which the form of the word in bold-faced type is used incorrectly.
a) In order to levitate someone in the game light as a feather stiff as a board, everyone must remain very concentrated.
b) When Dorothy went to see the Wizard of Oz, rather than a man, she found a giant levitation head.
c) The magician did not actually levitate the girl into the air, but instead used legerdemain to make it appear like he had.
d) In movies dealing with ghosts, someone is often levitated in the air.
Answer
b- the form of the word used should be levitating not levitation