Harry Potter Etymology | Levitation Charm (“Wingardium Leviosa”)
Wingardium is a composite word, based on: English to wing meaning “to fly” (e.g. the plane winged skywards); arduus (meaning “high, tall, lofty, steep, proudly elevated”) or arduum (meaning “steep place, the steep”); and the common Latin ending -ium. Leviosa probably derives from Latin levo, meaning to “raise, lift up”, or levis, meaning light (of weight). Altogether, therefore, the incantation could best be read as “lift up high”.
(via jessica-heart)
