# leaven

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈlɛv.ən/ · frequency rank #65,258

## Definitions
1. Any agent used to make dough rise or to have a similar effect on baked goods.
2. Anything that induces change, especially a corrupting or vitiating change.
3. Chametz.

## Etymology
From Middle English levayn, borrowed from Old French levain, from Vulgar Latin *levāmen, a noun based on Latin levō (“raise”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/leaven