LEAVEN
Dictionary entry overview: What does leaven mean?
• LEAVEN (noun)
The noun LEAVEN has 2 senses:
1. a substance used to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid
2. an influence that works subtly to lighten or modify something
Familiarity information: LEAVEN used as a noun is rare.
• LEAVEN (verb)
The verb LEAVEN has 1 sense:
1. cause to puff up with a leaven
Familiarity information: LEAVEN used as a verb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• LEAVEN (noun)
Meaning:
A substance used to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid
Classified under:
Nouns denoting substances
Synonyms:
leaven; leavening
Hypernyms ("leaven" is a kind of...):
matter; substance (that which has mass and occupies space)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "leaven"):
baking powder (any of various powdered mixtures used in baking as a substitute for yeast)
sourdough (a leaven of dough in which fermentation is active; used by pioneers for making bread)
barm; yeast (a commercial leavening agent containing yeast cells; used to raise the dough in making bread and for fermenting beer or whiskey)
Meaning:
An influence that works subtly to lighten or modify something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Synonyms:
leavening; leaven
Context example:
his sermons benefited from a leavening of humor
Hypernyms ("leaven" is a kind of...):
imponderable (a factor whose effects cannot be accurately assessed)
• LEAVEN (verb)
Meaning:
Cause to puff up with a leaven
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
leaven; prove; raise
Context example:
unleavened bread
Hypernyms (to "leaven" is one way to...):
bring up; elevate; get up; lift; raise (raise from a lower to a higher position)
Cause:
prove; rise (increase in volume)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Sentence example:
They leaven more bread
