I was just thinking about it . Elevate means to go up . But Elevators also go downwards . So why call them elevators ? Or am I missing something ? 

It's the same deal as stairs. They were meant to go up.

See, they needed something to go up with, hence the root of elevate. Elevators were supposed to carry humans upwards faster than stairs. Well, obviously, if they went up, how would they get down? Not only would that result in a one-use-only elevator, but that would mean the human is stuck, obviously. That means they had to go down, logically.

So, basically, they have a reason for being called "elevators". But, according to logical terms, what goes up must go down, so, yeah.

Elevate means to go up. De-elevate means to go down. "Elevator" just means it can do both kinds of elevate. I agree that I thinking too much into it.

Barathemos :
rcarter2 :
Mr. Zed :


LOL

This is hilarious, maybe mr. Zed is thinking to hard.

Thread of the year.  XD

rcarter2 : Well ttechniqually the word elevate only means to go up . It only means to go down with the addition of the prefix . They should just call it   "That things that carries people up and down- evator  "  

Mr. Zed : But the word elevator is not JUST the word elevate. It has an added suffix. Adding that 'or' at the end can imply that it is a device that elevates and de-elevates. But instead of calling an elevating/de-elevating machine, just call in an elevator

Mostly the word elevator came from the word elevate which means "to go up" but the elevator also goes down as well, and that's known as de-elevate, but I think the reason they call it elevators is that normally in buildings, from ground floor, you start going up, sop that's why they call it that.

This is actually a pretty funny but yet an interesting thread. lol. I honestly don't see whats the point of actually thinking extremely in depth for something like this. But still, if elevators can only go up, then how are we gonna go down? XD 

I think the elevators make you elevate up and down a different height.

Rcarter summed it up nicely, the word means to both go up and down. It is just simple logic, whatever goes up, must also come down.  They serve as a better alternative to stairs. 


Yeah, it is actually a really simple topic, you are just over thinking it man! Their main purpose is to go up, but they also go down. The word means to go up, but to de- elevate means to go down, but they just simply call it an elevator because it can go both ways rather than call it an elevate-de elevator. 

I think it's because they were building bigger buildings and they wanted something faster than stairs, so they made they elevator to go to the upper floors, but to get back to the bottom it needed to go back down, so it happens to be able to go down, though that isn't the purpose, it's just a nice add-on.

Dear Mr. Zed, this is why I nominated you for the craziest vizzed user, your threads and posts always bring me joy.

A simple question provokes a semantics argument about elevators of all things, well done.

I, Heinz Doofenshmirtz, have created a new evil device!  I call it the Elevatorinator!  It goes up and down with the push of a button, taking people away from precious exercise they could be getting from climbing the stairs.  And the most devious thing about them is that when you press the little button that says "Close Door", it does nothing!  What's more evil than that?

And I have also bought up all of the treadmills in the Tri-State Area!  So when people crave exercise, but don't have the energy to climb the stairs, they can buy one of these babies!  See, they're adjustable, so people don't do too much.  I'll make millions, which I will then use to begin my takeover of the Tri-State Area!

Perry the Platypus, what are you doing?  No, don't press that red button!  It's not the self-destruct button!

Great.  Now we're trapped in the Elevatorinator and this annoying alarm keeps sounding.  I don't know why I put that in here.

Oh, that red button?  Yes, that's the self-destruct button.  Wait, don't push it!  *Boom!*  Curse you, Perry the Platypus!

Probably the simplest way to look at it is not necessarily as one directional, since they obviously go both ways. Someone mentioned stairs earlier, saying they both are meant for elevating yourself to another level; but they are not one-way either. Dilemma? Not really; they change your elevation. When dealing with multiple floors, it could be seen the same as simply walking up or down a hill on a certain elevation grade, or like with an ascending or descending plane.
It may be an overly analyzed response, but hopefully the point is across.