levain

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-

Proto-Indo-European *-us

Proto-Indo-European *h₁léngʰus

▲

Proto-Italic *breɣʷisinflu.

Proto-Italic *leɣʷis

Latin levis

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin levō

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥

Proto-Italic *-mn̥

Latin -men

Vulgar Latin *levāmen

Old French levain

French levainbor.

English levain

Borrowed from French levain.

Noun

levain (plural levains)

1. (baking) A starter dough for sourdough bread.

Synonyms

• mother dough
• mother sponge
• starter dough

Anagrams

• Lavine, alevin, alvine, leavin', valine, veinal, venial, vineal

French

levain

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-

Proto-Indo-European *-us

Proto-Indo-European *h₁léngʰus

▲

Proto-Italic *breɣʷisinflu.

Proto-Italic *leɣʷis

Latin levis

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin levō

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥

Proto-Italic *-mn̥

Latin -men

Vulgar Latin *levāmen

Old French levain

French levain

Inherited from Old French levain, from Vulgar Latin *levāmen, from levō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lə.vɛ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Agen)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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Noun

levain m (plural levains)

1. sourdough
2. leaven (any agent used to make dough rise)

Related terms

• levure

Descendants

• → English: levain

Further reading

• “levain”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• nivela