leaven
/levv’n/ • noun 1 a substance, typically yeast, added to dough to make it ferment and rise. 2 an influence or quality that modifies or improves something: John’s humour was the leaven of his charm. • verb 1 usu. as adj. leavened cause (dough or bread) to ferment and rise by adding leaven. 2 modify or improve. — ORIGIN Latin levamen ‘relief’, from levare ‘to lift’.
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