# leaven
## English
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA: /ˈlɛv.ən/, [ˈlɛvn̩]
** Audio (California):(file)
* (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA: /ˈlev.ən/, [ˈlevn̩]
* Rhymes: -ɛvən

### Noun

leaven (countable and uncountable, plural leavens)
* Any agent used to make dough rise or to have a similar effect on baked goods.
* (figurative) Anything that induces change, especially a corrupting or vitiating change.
** 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 8:15:Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
** 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXXVI, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 299:On the far side was reflected a single red and meteoric cloud, which had treasured one last crimson ray from the sunset, or perhaps nursed within it the fiery leaven.
** 1926, T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, New York: Anchor, published 1991, page 213:The leaven of insincerity worked through all the fibres of his being.

#### Synonyms

* (any agent used to make dough rise): leavening agent, raising agent

#### Hypernyms

* (any agent used to make dough rise): agent, substance

#### Hyponyms

* (any agent used to make dough rise): baking powder, yeast

#### Derived terms

* leavenless
* natural leaven

#### Translations
### Verb

leaven (third-person singular simple present leavens, present participle leavening, simple past and past participle leavened)
* (transitive) To add a leavening agent.
* (transitive) To cause to rise by fermentation.
* (transitive, figuratively) To temper an action or decision.
** c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:Duke. No more euasion: We haue with a leauen'd, and prepared choice Proceeded to you; therefore take your honors:[...]
** 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page vii:With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get […]
* (transitive, figuratively) To imbue; to infect; to vitiate.
** 1649, John Milton, Eikonoklastes‎, London, published 1756, page 30:With these and the like deceivable doctrines, he levens also his prayer.
** 1716, Thomas Browne, edited by Samuel Johnson, Christian Morals‎, 2nd edition, London: J. Payne, published 1756, Part I, p. 7:[…] pursue virtue virtuously: leven not good actions, nor render virtues disputable. Stain not fair acts with foul intentions […]
* To rise or become larger; to prove. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

#### Alternative forms

* leven (obsolete)

#### Derived terms

* leavened
* leavening
* unleavened

#### Translations
### See also

* yeast

## German
### Etymology

From English leave +‎ -en.

### Verb

leaven (third-person singular present leavt, past tense leavte, past participle geleaved or geleavt, auxiliary haben or sein)
* (slang, gaming, otherwise rare) to leave
    Synonym: quitten

## West Frisian
### Noun

leaven
* plural of leaf