leverage

Meanings

1. A force compounded by means of a lever rotating around a pivot.
2. Any influence which is compounded or used to gain an advantage.
3. The use of borrowed funds with a contractually determined return to increase the ability to invest and earn an expected higher return, but usually at high risk.
4. The debt-to-equity ratio.
5. The ability to earn very high returns when operating at high-capacity utilization of a facility.
6. The distance of between an independent observation and other observations.

1. To use; to exploit; to manipulate in order to take full advantage (of something).

Etymology

From lever + -age. The verb likely comes from martial arts/judo usage, where one would "use an opponent's leverage (i.e. their weight, height, centre of balance, etc.)" against them in order to defeat them.