leaven (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict[leaven 词源字典]
mid-14c., from Old French levain "leaven, sourdough" (12c.), from Latin levamen "alleviation, mitigation," but used in Vulgar Latin in its literal sense of "a means of lifting, something that raises," from levare "to raise" (see lever). Figurative use from late 14c.[leaven etymology, leaven origin, 英语词源]
leaven (v.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
c. 1400, from leaven (n.). Related: Leavened; leavening.