Where does “levain” come from?

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

Ancestry of “levain”, step by step

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

Words derived from “levain

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ-