"Zeroise"

[Kathy]

Sorry, I'm not allowed there any more.

Can't you just click on it and read the topic without logging in? Would have saved a lot of typing here ...

But I couldn't search to see the topic.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Most annoying not being able to search the old place - a very odd change to require a log-in before you can search.

[Cudzoziemiec]

"Zero" or "set to zero" would be much better than "zeroi(s/z)e".

But (burn me! with our without kindling!) I can't see much wrong with "leverage" as a verb. As I understand it, it's used to mean "take the opportunity of our advantageous situation in order to gain a great deal more than we normally would be able to". As such it nicely encompasses the idea of levers to multiply input.

[Woofage]

I can't see much wrong with "leverage" as a verb.

Aaaarrrgghhhh!!!! My eyes!!!

[hellymedic]

We should use the 'tare' word more.

[border-rider]

"Zero" or "set to zero" would be much better than "zeroi(s/z)e".

But (burn me! with our without kindling!) I can't see much wrong with "leverage" as a verb. As I understand it, it's used to mean "take the opportunity of our advantageous situation in order to gain a great deal more than we normally would be able to". As such it nicely encompasses the idea of levers to multiply input.

When used that way as a noun, it's a perfectly good word.  The verb is to lever; if you lever something you are using/applying leverage.

I guess that if you used leverage as a verb then you would end up with leveragaciousness  as the result

[Zoidburg]

"Zero" or "set to zero" would be much better than "zeroi(s/z)e".

But (burn me! with our without kindling!) I can't see much wrong with "leverage" as a verb. As I understand it, it's used to mean "take the opportunity of our advantageous situation in order to gain a great deal more than we normally would be able to". As such it nicely encompasses the idea of levers to multiply input.

When used that way as a noun, it's a perfectly good word.  The verb is to lever; if you lever something you are using/applying leverage.

I guess that if you used leverage as a verb then you would end up with leveragaciousness  as the result

I would use the term "to zero"

To recalibrate something from scratch

Military term

[Cudzoziemiec]

"Zero" or "set to zero" would be much better than "zeroi(s/z)e".

But (burn me! with our without kindling!) I can't see much wrong with "leverage" as a verb. As I understand it, it's used to mean "take the opportunity of our advantageous situation in order to gain a great deal more than we normally would be able to". As such it nicely encompasses the idea of levers to multiply input.

When used that way as a noun, it's a perfectly good word.  The verb is to lever; if you lever something you are using/applying leverage.

I guess that if you used leverage as a verb then you would end up with leveragaciousness  as the result

But I don't think leverage as a verb is used with the same meaning as to lever. At least, I've only ever heard lever as a verb used in a physical or mathematical sense, not in the business/political/military situations that "leverage" tends to occur in.

Of course it is an Americanism (which I suspect is a factor in why many people dislike it  ) and Americans do (why?) tend to go for the longer, more complex form when there is often a simpler version already extant, so it could be that "leverage" has simply replaced "lever" in these areas. But I feel it wasn't used much in that way.

[border-rider]

Of course it is an Americanism (which I suspect is a factor in why many people dislike it  )

I dislike that usage because it's wrong.  There is no verb in the English (or American) language "to leverage", because leverage is a noun. 

But that's not the real issue - the migration of nouns or adjectives to verb status is quite accepted - to green something, or to tarmac it.  It's that the word has "age" on the end of it.  It's a word that already describes the result of using, or action of using, or advantage of using a lever.  Not the use of the lever itself. The verb is "to lever" and the result of doing it is "leverage".  Those business/military people could talk of "applying leverage", or they could ask how much leverage there was.  That'd be fine

[Cudzoziemiec]

So it seems we agree on the meaning of the word. 

And certainly saying "apply leverage" would be fine. But I can't see the -age ending as a problem. What about haemorage? That's a noun and a verb, surely (even if I've misspelled it, as I'm sure I have). We could say "suffer/have a haemorage" with the same meaninng, but it's simpler to use a one-word verb.

That said, I can't imagine using the verb "leverage" myself, any more than I'd say "to advantage" - I'd probably use a completely different phrase - but I don't object when others do.

[HTFB]

I dislike that usage because it's wrong.  There is no verb in the English (or American) language "to leverage", because leverage is a noun. 

But that's not the real issue - the migration of nouns or adjectives to verb status is quite accepted - to green something, or to tarmac it.  It's that the word has "age" on the end of it.  It's a word that already describes the result of using, or action of using, or advantage of using a lever.  Not the use of the lever itself. The verb is "to lever" and the result of doing it is "leverage".  Those business/military people could talk of "applying leverage", or they could ask how much leverage there was.  That'd be fine

Ah: but the businessmen want a word to describe the result of using, or the action of using, leverage, which is a well-defined financial concept that doesn't involve---except in the most figurative sense---levers.

[border-rider]

Ah: but the businessmen want a word to describe the result of using, or the action of using, leverage, which is a well-defined financial concept that doesn't involve---except in the most figurative sense---levers.

The result of using leverage would be..'leverage

If it were me, I'd describe the action as "applying leverage"