LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

lēvir

lēvir m (genitive lēvirī)
Classical[ˈɫeː.wɪr]Ecclesiastical[ˈlɛː.vir]

Meaning

  1. Late Latinone's husband's brother

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelēvirlēvirī
genitivelēvirīlēvirōrum
dativelēvirōlēvirīs
accusativelēvirumlēvirōs
ablativelēvirōlēvirīs
vocativelēvirlēvirī

lēvir, ĭri, m. for dēvir, kindred with Sanscr. dēvar, whence juvān = juvenis; Gr. δαήρ,
I. a husband's brother, brother-inlaw: viri frater levir est: apud Graecos δαὴρ appellatur, Dig. 38, 10, 4, § 6: levir dicitur frater mariti, quasi laevus vir, Non. 557, 8: levir est uxori meae frater meus (i. e. my brother is levir to my wife), Paul. ex Fest. p. 115 Müll. N. cr.

Origins

From Proto-Indo-European *dayh₂wḗr (“one's brother-in-law”). For initial l- compare lingua, lacrima. The expected *-ver was possibly altered under the influence of vir (“man”).

Descendants
  • Englishlevir
  • Englishlevirate

Quick answers

What does lēvir mean in Latin?
lēvir, a noun, means “one's husband's brother”.
What is the genitive of lēvir?
The genitive singular is lēvirī. lēvir is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce lēvir?
In classical Latin, [ˈɫeː.wɪr]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈlɛː.vir].