Where does “levain” come from?

levain (French) comes from Old French levain, from Latin levāmen, from Latin levō, from Latin lēvis, from Proto-Italic leɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European h₁léngʰus, from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- — light.

levain (French): sourdough; leaven

Definitions

  1. sourdough; leaven

Ancestry of “levain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchlevain—
2Latinlevāmen—
3Latinlevōto raise, elevate, lift up
4Latinlēvislight, not heavy
5Proto-Italicleɣʷislight
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light

Words derived from “levain”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →