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
- Any agent used to make dough rise or to have a...
Ancestry of “leaven”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | leave | To have a consequence or remnant; To depart; to... |
| 2 | French | lever | To raise, lift; To rise, stand up; To get up |
| 3 | Middle French | lever | to lift |
| 4 | Old French | lever | to lift; to get up |
| 5 | Latin | levō | — |
| 6 | Latin | lēvis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | leɣʷis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁léngʰus | lightweight |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁lengʷʰ- | light |
Words derived from “leaven”