Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: levain, from Vulgar Latin levamen, from Latin levare 'to raise'

leaven

1 noun
     
Related topics: Cooking
leav‧en1 also leav‧en‧ing
1 [uncountable] technicalDFC a substance, especially yeast, that is added to a mixture of flour and water so that it will swell and can be baked into bread [↪ unleavened]
2 [singular, uncountable] literary something that makes an event or situation less boring, serious, or sad
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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