noun
or levelling
( -s )
Etymology: from gerund of level (II)
1. : the action of one that levels
2. : a change in the spelling or pronunciation of a word or word form or element to conform with that of a different although often related one : obliteration of a phonetic or linguistic distinction
Middle English sang (singular) and sungen (plural) have both become sang by leveling in modern English
leveling of riding and writing is frequent in American speech
3. : the finding of a horizontal line, the ascertaining of differences of elevation between points on the earth's surface, or the establishing of grades (as for a railway roadbed) by use of a surveyor's level
4. : the establishment of a standard time for a job or a piecework operation by time-study computations based on the actual performance of workers in order to fix incentive pay rates or appraise workers' efficiency
5. : the formation of a smooth film free of brush marks — used of paints