ferment

[ noun fur-ment; verb fer-ment ]

/ noun ˈfɜr mɛnt; verb fərˈmɛnt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ferment ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called organized ferment. any of a group of living organisms, as yeasts, molds, and certain bacteria, that cause fermentation.

Also called unorganized ferment. an enzyme.

fermentation.

agitation; unrest; excitement; commotion; tumult: The new painters worked in a creative ferment. The capital lived in a political ferment.

verb (used with object)

to act upon as a ferment.

to cause to undergo fermentation.

to inflame; foment: to ferment prejudiced crowds to riot.

to cause agitation or excitement in: Reading fermented his active imagination.

verb (used without object)

to be fermented; undergo fermentation.

to seethe with agitation or excitement.

Origin of ferment

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin fermentum yeast (noun), fermentāre to cause to rise (v.); akin to barm, Latin fervēre to boil

OTHER WORDS FROM ferment

fer·ment·a·ble, adjective fer·ment·a·bil·i·ty, noun non·fer·ment·a·bil·i·ty, noun non·fer·ment·a·ble, adjective

non·fer·ment·ed, adjective non·fer·ment·ing, adjective un·fer·ment·a·ble, adjective un·fer·ment·ed, adjective un·fer·ment·ing, adjective well-fer·ment·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ferment

ferment foment

Words nearby ferment

fermat, fermat's last theorem, fermat's principle, fermat's theorem, fermata, ferment, fermentation, fermentation alcohol, fermentation lock, fermentative, fermi

Example sentences from the Web for ferment

“Biofuel” can be made out of anything that will ferment or rot, including digestive system waste products.

The Federal Government Has Violated My Right to Chainsaw |P. J. O’Rourke |April 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Ferment isn't imminent, but the conditions for it are ripe, said the group in a new report out this week.

The Coming West Bank Instability |Ali Gharib |May 30, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
In this time of ferment, Suliman found some support from inside her family.

Malina Suliman, Afghanistan’s Graffiti Queen |Zeenat Nagree |March 9, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The juice bubbles and gives off heat as it begins to ferment.

An Old-Fashioned Wine Harvest |Sophie Menin |October 18, 2010 |DAILY BEAST

All this ferment and froth did not spell reasoned conviction.

Far to Seek |Maud Diver
Tie a piece of cheese-cloth over the top of jug and stand it in a warm kitchen about one week, until it begins to ferment.

Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled during Her Visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans" |Edith M. Thomas
They do not, however, keep more than twelve hours after picking, and then begin to ferment and taste like beer.

The Khedive's Country |George Manville Fenn
Sometimes it is laid aside to ferment and then frozen and eaten in this condition.

Ethnology of the Ungava District, Hudson Bay Territory |Lucien Turner
Let the whole be now put into a cask to ferment, and add a pound and a half of loaf sugar to each gallon.

The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches, |Mary Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for ferment

ferment

noun (ˈfɜːmɛnt)

any agent or substance, such as a bacterium, mould, yeast, or enzyme, that causes fermentation

another word for fermentation

commotion; unrest

verb (fəˈmɛnt)

to undergo or cause to undergo fermentation

to stir up or seethe with excitement

Derived forms of ferment

fermentable, adjective fermentability, noun fermenter, noun

Word Origin for ferment

C15: from Latin fermentum yeast, from fervēre to seethe

undefined ferment

See foment

Medical definitions for ferment

ferment

[ fûr′mĕnt′ ]

n.

An agent, as a yeast, bacterium, mold, or enzyme, that causes fermentation.

Fermentation.

v.

To cause or undergo fermentation.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

ferment

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of ferment

OTHER WORDS FROM ferment

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ferment

Words nearby ferment

Example sentences from the Web for ferment

British Dictionary definitions for ferment

noun (ˈfɜːmɛnt)

verb (fəˈmɛnt)

Derived forms of ferment

Word Origin for ferment

undefined ferment

Medical definitions for ferment

n.

v.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

ferment

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of ferment

OTHER WORDS FROM ferment

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ferment

Words nearby ferment

Words related to ferment

Example sentences from the Web for ferment

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for ferment

noun (ˈfɜːmɛnt)

verb (fəˈmɛnt)

Derived forms of ferment

Word Origin for ferment

undefined ferment

Medical definitions for ferment

n.

v.

British Dictionary definitions for ferment