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Leaven

/ˈlɛv.ən/

Any agent used to make dough rise or to have a similar effect on baked goods.

Full Dictionary Entry

📖 Definitions of "Leaven"

noun

1
Any agent used to make dough rise or to have a similar effect on baked goods.
2
Anything that makes a general assimilating change in the mass.

verb

1
To add a leavening agent.
2
To cause to rise by fermentation.
3
To temper an action or decision.
4
To imbue; to infect; to vitiate.

🔄 Synonyms of "Leaven"

3 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

Word	Definition
raiseverb	(physical) To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
proveverb	(transitive) To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for; to bear out; to testify.
leaveningnoun	The process by which something is leavened.

💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Leaven"

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
raisenoun	(curling) A shot in which the delivered stone bumps another stone forward.
provenoun	(baking) The process of dough proofing.
yeastnoun	An often humid, yellowish froth produced by fermenting malt worts, and used to brew beer, leaven bread, and also used in certain medicines.
leavening agentnoun	Any organism or substance added to a food product (such as dough or batter) that makes it rise when cooked.
quick breadnoun	(US) A type of bread which is leavened with agents other than yeast (such as baking soda plus an acid) and thus rises more quickly.
raisingnoun	Nurturing; cultivation; providing sustenance and protection for a living thing from conception to maturity.
spongenoun	(countable) Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
baking powdernoun	A dry leavening agent used in baking; a mixture of baking soda, an acid (often cream of tartar) and starch to keep it dry; when wetted, carbon dioxide is released.
levainnoun	(baking) A starter dough for sourdough bread.
quickbreadnoun	Alternative form of quick bread. [(US) A type of bread which is leavened with agents other than yeast (such as baking soda plus an acid) and thus rises more quickly.]
yeast breadnoun	(cooking) Any type of bread prepared with yeast as a leavener.
risingverb	The act of something that rises.
starter doughnoun	(baking) A small amount of "live" dough used in traditional bakery to start the fermentation process necessary for preparing sourdough.
proofernoun	A chamber used in baking that encourages fermentation of dough by yeast through warm temperatures and controlled humidity.
doughnoun	A thick, malleable substance made by mixing flour with other ingredients such as water, eggs, or butter, that is made into a particular form and then baked.
absitnoun	(UK) Formal permission to be away from a college for the greater part of the day or more.
pastenoun	A soft moist mixture, in particular:
cakenoun	A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar, and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing.
loafnoun	(also loaf of bread) A block of bread after baking.
sour doughnoun	Alternative form of sourdough. [A type of bread dough leavened with yeast and lactobacilli that produce acids giving a sour taste.]