Dictionary

ferment en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɜː.mɛnt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈfɚ.mɛnt/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English ferment, from Middle French ferment, from Latin fermentāre (“to leaven, ferment”), from fermentum (“substance causing fermentation”), possibly from contraction of *fervimentum, from fervēre. See also fervent.

Meanings

1. Something, such as a yeast or barm, that causes fermentation.
2. A state of agitation or of turbulent change.
   • Proponents of the broken windows theory assume that [disorder] means a neighborhood has lost control and doesn't care about crime. But surely there are other plausible meanings. It could signal artistic ferment, a youth hangout, rebellion, or an alternative lifestyle. 2001, Bernard E. Harcourt, chapter 5, in Illusion of Order:
   • Clad in a Persian-Renaissance gown and a widow's tiara of white batiste, Mrs Thoroughfare, in all the ferment of a Marriage-Christening, left her chamber on vapoury autumn day and descending a few stairs, and climbing a few others, knocked a trifle brusquely at her son's wife's door. 1919, Ronald Firbank, Valmouth, Duckworth, hardback edition, page 104
   • 14 November, 1770, Junius, letter to the Right Honourable Lord Mansfield The nation is in a ferment.
   • Subdue and cool the ferment of desire. a. 1729, John Rogers, The Difficulties of Obtaining Salvation:
3. A gentle internal motion of the constituent parts of a fluid; fermentation.
   • A Rage of Pleaſure madden'd every Breaſt, / Down to the loweſt Lees the Ferment ran: [...] 1748, James Thomson, “Canto II”, in The Castle of Indolence: […], London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, stanza XXX, page 56:
4. A catalyst.

Forms

Relateds

foment

Translations (43)

nl gist (substance causing fermentation) · ga rírá (state of agitation) · fi fermentti (substance causing fermentation) · fi katalyytti (catalyst) · fi kuohunta (state of agitation) · ca ferment (state of agitation) · fi käymistila (state of agitation) · bg ферментация (state of agitation) · fi käymistila (gentle internal movement) · sv jäsningsämne (substance causing fermentation) · ga gabháil (substance causing fermentation) · mk маја (substance causing fermentation) · fi hapate (substance causing fermentation) · sv jäsämne (substance causing fermentation) · cs kvas (state of agitation) · ru ферме́нт (substance causing fermentation) · ga suaitheadh (state of agitation) · pt fermento (substance causing fermentation) · ca ferment (substance causing fermentation) · bg ферме́нт (substance causing fermentation) · cy achor (state of agitation) · bg мая (substance causing fermentation) · ga corraíl (state of agitation) · de Gärmittel (substance causing fermentation) · es fermento (catalyst) · ro ferment (substance causing fermentation) · ru волне́ние (state of agitation) · es fermento (state of agitation) · it fermento (substance causing fermentation) · fi käyminen (gentle internal movement) · mk превирање (state of agitation) · la fermentum (substance causing fermentation) · ko 발효소 (substance causing fermentation) · cy eples (substance causing fermentation) · ro enzimă (substance causing fermentation) · gl fermento (substance causing fermentation) · fr ferment (substance causing fermentation) · bg кипене (state of agitation) · fi käyte (substance causing fermentation) · ru возбужде́ние (state of agitation) · fr ferment (catalyst) · es fermento (substance causing fermentation) · mk ферме́нт (substance causing fermentation)

ferment en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /fəˈmɛnt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /fɚˈmɛnt/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English ferment, from Middle French ferment, from Latin fermentāre (“to leaven, ferment”), from fermentum (“substance causing fermentation”), possibly from contraction of *fervimentum, from fervēre. See also fervent.

Meanings

1. To react, using fermentation; especially to produce alcohol by aging or by allowing yeast to act on sugars; to brew.
   • The cleanup job would turn out to be possibly second only to body-recovery duty in terms of being a job that nobody wanted to get assigned to. Imagine, for a moment, a thick soup of oil, paper, ink, clothing, raw meat and other fresh provisions, and worse, that had all been left to collect together in semi-warm water, all enclosed in a large metal container that had then been subjected to heating by first fire and then repeated warm Hawaiian days, and then left to ferment for over a month, and then with most of the water drained away and all the remaining solid and semi-liquid mass collecting together in pools and heaps across multiple decks, still in a relatively-enclosed environment. 2020 November 18, Drachinifel, 6:21 from the start, in The Salvage of Pearl Harbor Pt 2 - Up She Rises!, archived from the original on 22 Oct 2022:
2. To stir up, agitate, cause unrest or excitement in.
   • Pleas'd have I wander'd thro' your rough domain; / Trod the pure virgin-ſnows, myſelf as pure; / Heard the winds roar, and the big torrent burſt; / Or ſeen the deep fermenting tempeſt brew'd, / In the grim evening ſky. a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Winter”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC, page 165, lines 10–14:
   • Ye vigorous swains! while youth ferments your blood. 1713, [Alexander] Pope, Windsor-Forest. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

re-ferment · fermentate · fermentability · underferment · preferment · overferment · fermental · fermentarian · unfermenting · coferment · fermentable · apoferment · lactoferment · fermentative · fermentic · fermentor · referment · fermentome · fermenter · nonfermenting

Synonyms

yeast

Translations (102)

mi toroī (to react using fermentation) · lv rudzināt (to react using fermentation) · de gären (to react using fermentation) · lus ṭâwng (to react using fermentation) · ru волнова́ть (to cause unrest) · ru ферменти́ровать (to react using fermentation) · kix tháng (to react using fermentation) · mi moī (to react using fermentation) · ru возбужда́ть (to cause unrest) · qu p'uchquy (to react using fermentation) · sq ngrydh (to react using fermentation) · mn хөөх (to react using fermentation) · ka ფერმენტირდება (to react using fermentation) · fr fermenter (to react using fermentation) · yi אירן (to react using fermentation) · de anstacheln (to cause unrest) · fi lietsoa (to cause unrest) · fi hämmentää (to cause unrest) · da gære (to react using fermentation) · pl zakisić (to react using fermentation) · km ផ្អាប់ទុក (to react using fermentation) · sq thar (to react using fermentation) · gl cocer (to react using fermentation) · ru броди́ть (to react using fermentation) · pl ukisić (to react using fermentation) · ga coip (to react using fermentation) · ro dospi (to react using fermentation) · lv rūgt (to react using fermentation) · el ζυμώνω (to react using fermentation) · pl kisić (to react using fermentation) · cs kvasit (to react using fermentation) · yi יערן (to react using fermentation) · pam buru (to react using fermentation) · yi יוירן (to react using fermentation) · udm шутыны (to react using fermentation) · tr mayalamak (to react using fermentation) · mn исэх (to react using fermentation) · la fermentō (to react using fermentation) · de stören (to cause unrest) · nl gisten (to react using fermentation) · eu hartzitu (to react using fermentation) · cy eplesu (to react using fermentation) · mi whakamara (to react using fermentation) · km ឡើង (to react using fermentation) · vi lên men (to react using fermentation) · ja 発酵する (to react using fermentation) · mi māhī (to react using fermentation) · fi käyttää (to react using fermentation) · el αναβράζω (to react using fermentation) · cmn 發酵 /发酵 (to react using fermentation) · my အချဉ်ဖောက် (to react using fermentation) · yo bà (to react using fermentation) · yi גערן (to react using fermentation) · kpv шутны (to react using fermentation) · bg кипя (to react using fermentation) · hu erjeszt (to react using fermentation) · eo fermenti (to react using fermentation) · gl fermentar (to react using fermentation) · it fermentare (to cause unrest) · it fermentare (to react using fermentation) · uk броди́ти (to react using fermentation) · fi panna käymään (to react using fermentation) · fi kuohuttaa (to cause unrest) · ro fermenta (to react using fermentation) · lv raudzēt (to react using fermentation) · ka აფერმენტირებს (to react using fermentation) · bg ферменти́рам (to react using fermentation) · fi nostattaa (to cause unrest) · pl skisić (to react using fermentation) · hy խմորել (to react using fermentation) · vo färmäntön (to react using fermentation) · yi ייִרן (to react using fermentation) · mk ферменти́ра (to react using fermentation) · ar خَمَرَ (to react using fermentation) · haw hū (to react using fermentation) · sv fermentera (to react using fermentation) · ru ква́сить (to react using fermentation) · mi māī (to react using fermentation) · is gerja (to react using fermentation) · uk ферментува́ти (to react using fermentation) · ca fermentar (to react using fermentation) · ml പുളിപ്പിക്കുക (to react using fermentation) · et käärima (to react using fermentation) · ko 발효하다 (to react using fermentation) · nb gjære (to react using fermentation) · da fermentere (to react using fermentation) · es fermentar (to react using fermentation) · pl sfermentować (to react using fermentation) · mk се кваси (to react using fermentation) · mi whakamoī (to react using fermentation) · ty hōpue (to react using fermentation) · nb fermentere (to react using fermentation) · mi rēwena (to react using fermentation) · he הִתְסִיס (to react using fermentation) · th หมัก (to react using fermentation) · mi mara (to react using fermentation) · nl stoken (to cause unrest) · pt fermentar (to react using fermentation) · pl fermentować (to react using fermentation) · mk врие (to react using fermentation) · sv jäsa (to react using fermentation) · ml പുളിക്കുക (to react using fermentation)