"leaven" Definition

Definitions for the word "leaven" from multiple English dictionaries.

1. n.
Any substance that produces, or is designed to produce, fermentation, as in dough or liquids; esp., a portion of fermenting dough, which, mixed with a larger quantity of dough, produces a general change in the mass, and renders it light; yeast; barm.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
2. n.
Anything which makes a general assimilating (especially a corrupting) change in the mass.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
3. v. t.
To make light by the action of leaven; to cause to ferment.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
4. v. t.
To imbue; to infect; to vitiate.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
5. n.
1 substance causing dough to ferment and rise. 2 pervasive transforming influence; admixture. v. 1 ferment (dough) with leaven. 2 permeate and transform; modify with a tempering element. [latin levo lift]
Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 1884

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Additional Info
This page provides a list of definitions and meanings for "leaven" from various historical English dictionaries. By displaying multiple definitions, you can compare and contrast different meanings and nuances of a word, phrase, or slang. You can also see the changes in meaning of "leaven" over time by viewing the definitions from different dictionaries published at different times in history. The page also includes other information to help users expand their vocabulary and understand the context of the word.

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