Meaning of "leaven" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD LEAVEN

Via Old French ultimately from Latin levāmen relief, (hence, raising agent, leaven), from levāre to raise.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF LEAVEN

leaven  [ˈlɛvən]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF LEAVEN

Leaven is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb leaven in English.

WHAT DOES LEAVEN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Leavening agent

A leavening agent is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that causes a foaming action that lightens and softens the finished product. Formation of carbon dioxide is induced by chemical agents reacting with moisture, heat, acidity, or other triggers. The leavening agent incorporates gas bubbles into the dough. The alternative or supplement to leavening agents is mechanical leavening by which air is incorporated by mechanical means. Most leavening agents are synthetic chemical compounds, but carbon dioxide can also be produced by biological agents. When a dough or batter is mixed, the starch in the flour mixes with the water in the dough to form a matrix, then gelatinizes and "sets"; the holes left by the gas bubbles remain.

Definition of leaven in the English dictionary

The first definition of leaven in the dictionary is any substance that produces fermentation in dough or batter, such as yeast, and causes it to rise. Other definition of leaven is a piece of such a substance kept to ferment a new batch of dough. Leaven is also an agency or influence that produces a gradual change.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO LEAVEN

PRESENT

Present

I leaven

you leaven

he/she/it leavens

we leaven

you leaven

they leaven

Present continuous

I am leavening

you are leavening

he/she/it is leavening

we are leavening

you are leavening

they are leavening

Present perfect

I have leavened

you have leavened

he/she/it has leavened

we have leavened

you have leavened

they have leavened

Present perfect continuous

I have been leavening

you have been leavening

he/she/it has been leavening

we have been leavening

you have been leavening

they have been leavening

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I leavened

you leavened

he/she/it leavened

we leavened

you leavened

they leavened

Past continuous

I was leavening

you were leavening

he/she/it was leavening

we were leavening

you were leavening

they were leavening

Past perfect

I had leavened

you had leavened

he/she/it had leavened

we had leavened

you had leavened

they had leavened

Past perfect continuous

I had been leavening

you had been leavening

he/she/it had been leavening

we had been leavening

you had been leavening

they had been leavening

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will leaven

you will leaven

he/she/it will leaven

we will leaven

you will leaven

they will leaven

Future continuous

I will be leavening

you will be leavening

he/she/it will be leavening

we will be leavening

you will be leavening

they will be leavening

Future perfect

I will have leavened

you will have leavened

he/she/it will have leavened

we will have leavened

you will have leavened

they will have leavened

Future perfect continuous

I will have been leavening

you will have been leavening

he/she/it will have been leavening

we will have been leavening

you will have been leavening

they will have been leavening

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would leaven

you would leaven

he/she/it would leaven

we would leaven

you would leaven

they would leaven

Conditional continuous

I would be leavening

you would be leavening

he/she/it would be leavening

we would be leavening

you would be leavening

they would be leavening

Conditional perfect

I would have leaven

you would have leaven

he/she/it would have leaven

we would have leaven

you would have leaven

they would have leaven

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been leavening

you would have been leavening

he/she/it would have been leavening

we would have been leavening

you would have been leavening

they would have been leavening

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you leaven
we let´s leaven
you leaven

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to leaven

Past participle

leavened

Present Participle

leavening

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «LEAVEN»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «leaven» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of leaven

barm · catalyst · elevate · ferment · imbue · influence · inspiration · inspire · leavening · lighten · permeate · pervade · quicken · raise · stimulate · suffuse · work · yeast

TRANSLATION OF LEAVEN

Find out the translation of leaven to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of leaven from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «leaven» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 酵
• Translator English - Spanish: levadura
• English: leaven
• Translator English - Hindi: ख़मीर
• Translator English - Arabic: خميرة
• Translator English - Russian: закваска
• Translator English - Portuguese: fermento
• Translator English - Bengali: খামির
• Translator English - French: levain
• Translator English - Malay: Ragi
• Translator English - German: Sauerteig
• Translator English - Japanese: パン種
• Translator English - Korean: 누룩
• Translator English - Javanese: Leaven
• Translator English - Vietnamese: căn nguyên
• Translator English - Tamil: புளித்தமாவைக்குறித்து
• Translator English - Marathi: खारटपणा
• Translator English - Turkish: mayalamak
• Translator English - Italian: lievitare
• Translator English - Polish: zaczynem
• Translator English - Ukrainian: закваска
• Translator English - Romanian: aluat
• Translator English - Greek: προζύμι
• Translator English - Afrikaans: suurdeeg
• Translator English - Swedish: surdeg
• Translator English - Norwegian: surdeig

2 QUOTES WITH «LEAVEN»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word leaven.

1

Os Guinness

Jesus made clear that the Kingdom of God is organic and not organizational. It grows like a seed and it works like leaven: secretly, invisibly, surprisingly, and irresistibly.

2

Sherrilyn Kenyon

I think you need humour and a sense of fun, which is what I try to bring to my books to leaven the danger and action. The ones that really transcend the genre always have a great laugh in them, such as 'Fright Night,' 'Lost Boys,' 'American Werewolf in London' - just to name a few.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «LEAVEN»

Discover the use of leaven in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to leaven and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

As Leaven in the World: Catholic Perspectives on Faith, ...

Envision Catholicism as a cultural force that shapes morality, the arts, creativity, cultural conversation, social justice, spirituality, and vocation.

Thomas M. Landy, 2001

Leaven: Webster's Quotations, Facts and Phrases

Proceeds from this book are used to expand the content and coverage of Websters Online Dictionary (www.websters-online-dictionary.org).

‎2008

Like Leaven in the Dough: Protestant Social Thought in Latin ...

In Like Leaven in the Dough: Protestant Social Thought in Latin America, 1920-1950, Carlos Mondragón, offers an introduction to the ideas of notable Protestant writers in Latin America during the first half of the twentieth century.

Carlos Mondragón, 2010

Leaven: A Black and White Story

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.

Douglas Blackburn, 2010

Preacher, Or Ecclesiastical Pimp!: ... . . Beware of the ...

If you are a minister, have a minister, know a minister or know someone else that has or knows a minister, this book is an absolute must read.

Louis Timm's, 2007

Salt, Leaven, and Light: The Community Called Church

This book traces the history of theology and the Church from its ancient beginnings to its relevance in the world today.

T. Howland Sanks, 1997

The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens

The most common problems are death of a leaven, change in the apparent character of a leaven, or unreliability in the rising power of a leaven which works well sometimes but not all the time. It is my belief that these problems are usually  ...

Alan Scott, Daniel Wing, 1999

All the Parables of the Bible

The use and non- use of leaven by the Israelites is summed up in the deep and searching word: "The iniquity of the holy things the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts" (Exodus 28:38). To the Jews, then, leaven was a symbol of ...

Herbert Lockyer, 1963

The Three Divine Sisters, Faith, Hope, and Charity. The ...

You choke the usurer with leaven when you tell him that his sins shall not be forgiven till his unjust gains be restored. You may as well prescribe the epicure leaven instead of bread, as set him the voider of abstinence instead of his table of  ...

Thomas ADAMS (D.D., Preacher at Willington, Bedfordshire, afterwards at St. Gregory's, London.), William Hendry STOWELL, 1847

The Mishnah

Thus if wheaten leaven1 fell into wheaten dough2 and there was enough to leaven it, it is forbidden whether or not there was little enough for it to be neutralized in a hundred and one ; if there was not little enough for it to be neutralized in a ...

Herbert Danby, 1933

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «LEAVEN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term leaven is used in the context of the following news items.

The system is intolerable: the change we need is in our hands - The …

I pray that Our Lady of Mount Carmel, patroness of Bolivia, will allow this meeting of ours to be a leaven of change. An economy to administer ... «The Ecologist, Jul 15»

Luxury Drive: With the all-new Giulia, Alfa Romeo strikes back …

To leaven the Italianate passion of the evening, Marchionne introduced “our team of skunks.” Yes, skunks — the nickname for the team of ... «The Providence Journal, Jul 15»

Last Day in the Dynamite Factory

Faulkner is careful to lavish plenty of warmth, homespun wisdom, even humour on the narrative to leaven the darkness that falls upon Chris, ... «The Saturday Paper, Jul 15»

China takes its Eurasian moment | East Asia Forum

The largely authoritarian Central Asian regimes have long bridled at Washington's tendency to leaven its commitments to the region with ... «East Asia Forum, Jul 15»

When You Discover Sexual Immorality in the Church - Charisma News

A little leaven leavens the whole lump. "And do not let sexual immorality, or any impurity, or greed be named among you, as these are not ... «Charisma News, Jul 15»

When You Discover Sexual Immorality in the Church — Charisma …

A little leaven leavens the whole lump. "And do not let sexual immorality, or any impurity, or greed be named among you, as these are not ... «Charisma News, Jul 15»

The Goods: Myths and facts about cocoa

Lots of carbon dioxide will properly leaven the cake and result in a nice height and lovely texture. Myth: Cocoa is too high in fat and calories to ... «Florida Times-Union, Jul 15»

The Confederate Flag and the 10 Commandments

Its sage advice includes: thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven, the firstborn of a donkey shalt thou redeem with a lamb, and ... «Huffington Post, Jul 15»

What to Expect at a Seder

Different families observe the rules of avoiding even traces of leaven on Pesach with varying degrees of stringency, and it is probably safest to avoid giving food ... «Chabad.org, Jul 15»

'Our faith is revolutionary': Pope Francis on the immorality of the …

... in such solidarity and be a leaven for change. The pope promises that “Mary is a sign of hope for peoples suffering the birth pangs of justice.”. «U.S. Catholic magazine, Jul 15»