4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Leaven  \Leav"en\,  n.  [OE.  levain,  levein,  F.  levain,  L.  levamen 
  alleviation,  mitigation;  but  taken  in  the  sense  of  a 
  raising,  that  which  raises,  fr  levare  to  raise.  See  {Lever}, 
  n.] 
  1.  Any  substance  that  produces,  or  is  designed  to  produce, 
  fermentation,  as  in  dough  or  liquids;  esp.,  a  portion  of 
  fermenting  dough,  which  mixed  with  a  larger  quantity  of 
  dough,  produces  a  general  change  in  the  mass,  and  renders 
  it  light;  yeast;  barm. 
 
  2.  Anything  which  makes  a  general  assimilating  (especially  a 
  corrupting)  change  in  the  mass. 
 
  Beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees,  which  is 
  hypocrisy.  --Luke  xii.  1. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Leaven  \Leav"en\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Leavened};  p.  pr  &  vb 
  n.  {Leavening}.] 
  1.  To  make  light  by  the  action  of  leaven;  to  cause  to 
  ferment. 
 
  A  little  leaven  leaveneth  the  whole  lump.  --1  Cor. 
  v.  6. 
 
  2.  To  imbue;  to  infect;  to  vitiate. 
 
  With  these  and  the  like  deceivable  doctrines,  he 
  leavens  also  his  prayer.  --Milton. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  leaven 
  n  1:  a  substance  used  to  produce  fermentation  in  dough  or  a 
  liquid  [syn:  {leavening}] 
  2:  an  influence  that  works  subtly  to  lighten  or  modify 
  something  "his  sermons  benefited  from  a  leavening  of 
  humor"  [syn:  {leavening}] 
  v  :  cause  to  puff  up  with  a  leaven;  of  dough;  "unleavened  bread" 
  [syn:  {raise},  {prove}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Leaven 
  (1.)  Heb.  seor  (Ex.  12:15,  19;  13:7;  Lev.  2:11),  the  remnant  of 
  dough  from  the  preceding  baking  which  had  fermented  and  become 
  acid. 
 
  (2.)  Heb.  hamets  properly  "ferment."  In  Num.  6:3,  "vinegar  of 
  wine"  is  more  correctly  "fermented  wine."  In  Ex  13:7,  the 
  proper  rendering  would  be  "Unfermented  things  [Heb.  matstsoth] 
  shall  be  consumed  during  the  seven  days;  and  there  shall  not  be 
  seen  with  thee  fermented  things  [hamets],  and  there  shall  not  be 
  seen  with  thee  leavened  mass  [seor]  in  all  thy  borders."  The 
  chemical  definition  of  ferment  or  yeast  is  "a  substance  in  a 
  state  of  putrefaction,  the  atoms  of  which  are  in  a  continual 
  motion." 
 
  The  use  of  leaven  was  strictly  forbidden  in  all  offerings  made 
  to  the  Lord  by  fire  (Lev.  2:11;  7:12;  8:2;  Num.  6:15).  Its 
  secretly  penetrating  and  diffusive  power  is  referred  to  in  1 
  Cor.  5:6.  In  this  respect  it  is  used  to  illustrate  the  growth  of 
  the  kingdom  of  heaven  both  in  the  individual  heart  and  in  the 
  world  (Matt.  13:33).  It  is  a  figure  also  of  corruptness  and  of 
  perverseness  of  heart  and  life  (Matt.  16:6,  11;  Mark  8:15;  1 
  Cor.  5:7,  8). 
 

browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
or search   thesauri dictionary search words