LEAVENING

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

An influence that works subtly to lighten or modify something

Example:

his sermons benefited from a leavening of humor

Synonyms:

leaven; leavening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("leavening" is a kind of...):

imponderable (a factor whose effects cannot be accurately assessed)

Meaning:

A substance used to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid

Synonyms:

leaven; leavening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("leavening" is a kind of...):

substance (a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "leavening"):

baking powder (any of various powdered mixtures used in baking as a substitute for yeast)

sourdough (a leaven of dough in which fermentation is active; used by pioneers for making bread)

barm; yeast (a commercial leavening agent containing yeast cells; used to raise the dough in making bread and for fermenting beer or whiskey)

-ing form of the verb leaven