leavening

American  

[lev-uh-ning] / ˈlɛv ə nɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called leavening agent.  a substance used to produce fermentation in dough or batter; leaven.

2. the act or process of causing to ferment by leaven.

3. leaven.

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Etymology

Origin of leavening

First recorded in 1600–10; leaven + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The natural leavening gives them a lighter, crispier crust and an airy, mildly tangy crumb.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

A corrosive rage courses through this 163-minute odyssey that’s matched by a leavening absurdism, Jude aghast at the comical stupidity of our inauthentic, greed-driven world.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

So, they have chosen the traditional path, using public filings to make their case — leavening the dense legal passages with explanations aimed at being more accessible to the public, officials said.

From New York Times • Aug. 31, 2022

Her story's fantastical tone aligns with her bright imagination, leavening its approach with the bubbly spirit of a dreamer suddenly able to make her superhero fantasies real.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2022

He recorded the moment in his journal, leavening his relief with the one overriding concern that had lent urgency to the work of all the atomic scientists of those years.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik