leaven

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leaven

/ˈlɛv.ən/ Canada, US, UK
[ˈlɛvn̩] Canada, US, UK
/ˈlev.ən/ Australia, New Zealand
[ˈlevn̩] Australia, New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɛvən

Where it comes from

From Middle English levayn, borrowed from Old French levain, from Vulgar Latin *levāmen, a noun based on Latin levō (“raise”).

noun leavens

countable, uncountable Any agent used to make dough rise or to have a similar effect on baked goods.
Similar: leavening agent, raising agent
countable, figuratively, uncountable Anything that induces change, especially a corrupting or vitiating change. Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
Judaism, countable, uncountable Chametz. On the fourteenth day of Nisan men search for leaven by candlelight.

verb leavens · leavening · leavened · leven

transitive To add a leavening agent. Yeast is used to leaven bread, making it rise during baking.
transitive To cause to rise by fermentation.
figuratively, transitive To temper an action, decision, attitude, characteristic, etc. Duke. No more euasion: We haue with a leauen'd, and prepared choice Proceeded to you; therefore take your honors:[...]
figuratively, transitive To imbue; to infect; to vitiate. The comedian's jokes helped leaven the atmosphere during the serious meeting.
To rise or become larger; to prove.

Translations

Every language

noun any agent used to make dough rise

Español	levadura, polvos de hornear
日本語	パン種 pan-dane, 膨張剤 bōchōzai
中文	酵母 jiàomǔ, 麵肥 /面肥 miànféi
Kiswahili	chachu, hamira
Português	fermento, levedura
Français	levain, ferment
Deutsch	Treibmittel, Triebmittel, Ferment
Italiano	lievito
Română	plămădeală, maia, covoseală, plămadă
Русский	заква́ска zakváska, разрыхли́тель razryxlítelʹ
العربية	خَمِيرَة ḵamīra
עברית	שאור s'or

verb to add leavening

Español	leudar
Italiano	lievitare
Română	plămădi

verb to cause to rise by fermentation

Español	leudar
中文	膨鬆 /膨松 péngsōng
Français	faire lever, faire fermenter
Italiano	lievitare
עברית	הֶחְמִיץ heẖmítz

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MLA

"leaven." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/leaven. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

leaven. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/leaven

Chicago

"leaven." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/leaven.

BibTeX

@misc{leaven_2026,
  title = {leaven},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/leaven},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}