levant

verb

le·​vant lə-ˈvant 

levanted; levanting; levants

intransitive verb

chiefly British

: to run away from a debt

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from Spanish levantar to break camp, ultimately from Latin levare

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined above

Geographical Definition

Levant

geographical name

Le·​vant lə-ˈvant 

the countries bordering on the eastern Mediterranean Sea

—often thought of as extending from Greece to Egypt

Levantine

ˈle-vən-ˌtīn 

-ˌtēn

lə-ˈvan-

adjective or noun