The Spanish word 'liviano' meaning 'light' or 'of little weight' comes from the Vulgar Latin word 'levianus'. This Vulgar Latin term was formed by combining the Classical Latin word 'levis' (meaning 'light, of little weight') with the Latin suffix '-anus' (indicating origin or belonging). Over time, as Vulgar Latin evolved into Spanish, 'levianus' transformed into 'liviano', maintaining its original meaning of 'light' or 'lightweight'.

A simpler and more common Spanish word that shares the same Latin root 'levis' is 'leve', which also means 'light' or 'slight'. While 'liviano' is more commonly used to describe physical lightness or weight, 'leve' is often used in contexts referring to something minor, slight, or insignificant.

The English words 'levity' and 'levy' are distant cousins of 'liviano', as they also derive from the Latin 'levis'. 'Levity' maintains a connection to the original meaning through its sense of 'lightness' in behavior or manner, though it has evolved to specifically mean 'frivolity' or 'lack of seriousness'. 'Levy' took a different semantic path - while it comes from the same root meaning 'light', it developed through the idea of 'lifting' (as in lifting taxes) to mean 'impose' or 'collect'.