ferment

[ noun fur-ment; verb fer-ment ]

noun

1. Also called organized ferment. any of a group of living organisms, as yeasts, molds, and certain bacteria, that cause fermentation.
2. Also called unorganized ferment. an enzyme.
3. fermentation.
4. agitation; unrest; excitement; commotion; tumult:

   The new painters worked in a creative ferment.

   The capital lived in a political ferment.

verb (used with object)

1. to act upon as a ferment.
2. to cause to undergo fermentation.
3. to inflame; foment:

   to ferment prejudiced crowds to riot.

4. to cause agitation or excitement in:

   Reading fermented his active imagination.

verb (used without object)

1. to be fermented; undergo fermentation.
2. to seethe with agitation or excitement.

ferment

noun

1. any agent or substance, such as a bacterium, mould, yeast, or enzyme, that causes fermentation
2. another word for fermentation
3. commotion; unrest

verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo fermentation
2. to stir up or seethe with excitement

Usage

See foment

Derived Forms

• ferˈmentable, adjective
• ferˌmentaˈbility, noun
• ferˈmenter, noun

Other Words From

• fer·ment·a·ble adjective
• fer·ment·a·bil·i·ty [fer-men-t, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ferment¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin fermentum “yeast” (noun), fermentāre “to cause to rise” (verb), equivalent to fer(vēre) “to boil” + -mentum -ment ( def ); fervent

Word History and Origins

Origin of ferment¹

C15: from Latin fermentum yeast, from fervēre to seethe

Example Sentences

The indigestible remainder of the food and the capsule then passed on to the large intestine, where the food was fermented by the gut bacteria.

From Science Daily

There were other perceived slights that followed and that resentment seems to have fermented into a poisonous hostility toward the institution and the government itself.

From Salon

Additionally, it can be found in beans, artichokes, and sweet potatoes, and in fermented foods such as sourdough bread, as well as miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut.

From Science Daily

For the last seven years, Kammerer has been working with koji mold, or Aspergillus oryzae, which is widely used in Japanese cuisine to ferment soybeans and make things like soy sauce and miso.

From Salon

Out of this angry ferment came two very different expressions of anti-establishment politics.

From Salon

Related Words

• commotion
• disquiet
• excitement
• frenzy
• restlessness
• tumult
• turbulence
• unrest
• upheaval
• uproar