leaven
leaven Lexical Profile
leaven Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To permeate and modify, temper, or enliven something with a lightening or moderating quality.
"The professor always leavened his dense historical lectures with amusing anecdotes."
To cause dough or batter to ferment and rise by adding yeast or another leavening agent.
"Traditional sourdough bread is leavened using naturally occurring wild yeasts and bacteria."
• noun
A substance, typically yeast, sourdough starter, or baking powder, added to dough or batter to cause fermentation and make it rise and lighten during baking.
"The baker reserved a small piece of fermented dough to serve as the leaven for tomorrow's loaves."
A pervasive quality or influence that modifies, enlivens, or transforms something for the better.
"Her dry wit acted as a welcome leaven during the otherwise tedious committee meetings."
• Rhymes for leaven
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Old French levain, from Latin levamen ('alleviation, means of raising'), derived from levare ('to raise or lighten'), which is also the root of 'lever' and 'levitate'.