Definition of "leavening" []

• An agent that causes rising, fermentation, or ferment; leaven. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The men were mostly Swiss, but with a leavening from the German states, and they were a sober, steady battalion that Wellesley planned to lead to the Inner Palace to protect its contents and its harem from the ravages of the attackers."
• "Ministers are employed in leavening places, in leavening souls, with the gospel."
• "Regarding the coconut cake, all the ingredients technically are kosher for Passover, but it hasn't been _certified_ basically, a rabbi checks to make sure that it's been made on equipment that's been completely cleansed of all leavening aka chametz."