Part 633

5. To let be or do without interference; as, I left him to his reflections; I leave my hearers to judge.

I will leave you now to your gossiplike humor.

Shak.

6. To put; to place; to deposit; to deliver; to commit; to submit -- with a sense of withdrawing one's self from; as, leave your hat in the hall; we left our cards; to leave the matter to arbitrators.

Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way.

Matt. v. 24.

The foot That leaves the print of blood where'er it walks.

Shak.

7. To have remaining at death; hence, to bequeath; as, he left a large estate; he left a good name; he left a legacy to his niece.

To leave alone. (a) To leave in solitude. (b) To desist or refrain from having to do with; as, to leave dangerous chemicals alone. -- To leave off. (a) To desist from; to forbear; to stop; as, to leave off work at six o'clock. (b) To cease wearing or using; to omit to put in the usual position; as, to leave off a garment; to leave off the tablecloth. (c) To forsake; as, to leave off a bad habit. -- To leave out, to omit; as, to leave out a word or name in writing. -- To leave to one's self, to let (one) be alone; to cease caring for (one).

Syn>- To quit; depart from; forsake; abandon; relinquish; deliver; bequeath; give up; forego; resign; surrender; forbear. See Quit.

Leave (?), v. i. 1. To depart; to set out. [Colloq.]

By the time I left for Scotland.

Carlyle.

2. To cease; to desist; to leave off. "He . . . began at the eldest, and left at the youngest." Gen. xliv. 12.

To leave off, to cease; to desist; to stop.

Leave off, and for another summons wait.

Roscommon.

Leaved (?), a. [From Leaf.] Bearing, or having, a leaf or leaves; having folds; -- used in combination; as, a four-leaved clover; a two-leaved gate; long-leaved.

Leave"less (?), a. Leafless. [Obs.] Carew.

Leav"en (?), n. [OE. levain, levein, F. levain, L. levamen alleviation, mitigation; but taken in the sense of, a raising, that which raises, fr. levare to raise. See Lever, n.] 1. Any substance that produces, or is designed to produce, fermentation, as in dough or liquids; esp., a portion of fermenting dough, which, mixed with a larger quantity of dough, produces a general change in the mass, and renders it light; yeast; barm.

2. Anything which makes a general assimilating (especially a corrupting) change in the mass.

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Luke xii. 1.

Leav"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Leavened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Leavening (?).] 1. To make light by the action of leaven; to cause to ferment.

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

1 Cor. v. 6.

2. To imbue; to infect; to vitiate.