leavenousadj.

1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης ix. 79 A..vitious clergy..whose unsincere and levenous Doctrine corrupting the people, first taught them loosness, then bondage.

a1683 P. Warwick Mem. Reign Charles I (1701) 78 When they [sc. Dissenters] could mingle their leavenous zeal with a dissatisfied Lay-lump..it so fermented the blood that at last it cast the whole body into a distemper.

1766 J. Cazeneuve & W. Witheridge True State of Case Dispute Parish Reg.-bk. 29 This artful Behaviour surely smells more of the old leavenous Tricks of an Old Baily Solicitor.

1853 E. Lord Messiah in Moses & Prophets xxiii. 285 Can any observer..account..for its [sc. reason's] leavenous working in scientific and ecclesiastical fraternities?

1896 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 18 May 2/6 The radiator butter commands a much higher price in the market than other leavenous kinds of butter.

1923 Eng. Rev. May 623 The book he cooked contained, perhaps, a small amount of leavenous truth, but it consisted for the greater part of very doubtful dough.

1950 J. Hersey Wall iv. v. 452 The baker..kneaded the dough that had been set to rise the night before, in order to ‘kill’ part of its leavenous gas.

2005 M. Tucker in G. Bowd et al. Grounding World 80 The..combination of the tremendous..luminous intelligence and complementary..quality of leavenous humour that characterises this poet and his work.