Where does “leaven” come from?

Leaven comes from Middle English levain, from Late Latin levamen (alleviation), derived from Latin levis (light) and the suffix -men, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- (to be light).

leaven (English): Any agent used to make dough rise or to have a...

Definitions

  1. Any agent used to make dough rise or to have a...

Ancestry of “leaven”, step by step

leaven traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English leave

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishleaveTo have a consequence or remnant; To depart; to...
2FrenchleverTo raise, lift; To rise, stand up; To get up
3Middle Frenchleverto lift
4Old Frenchleverto lift; to get up
5Latinlevōto raise, elevate, lift up
6Latinlēvislight, not heavy
7Proto-Italicleɣʷislight
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light

via Middle English levayn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlevaynleaven
2Old Frenchlevain—
3Latinlevāmen—

Words derived from “leaven”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →