Dictionary

zymurgy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈzaɪˌmɜɹd͡ʒi/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈzaɪˌmɜːd͡ʒi/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From zym- (prefix meaning ‘fermentation’) + -urgy (suffix denoting a technique for working with something), modelled after metallurgy.

Meanings

1. (no-plural, uncountable, usually) Synonym of zymology (“the chemistry of fermentation with yeasts, especially the science involved in beermaking and winemaking”).
   • The natural languages, however, cover every subject from aardvarks to zymurgies. [1947, The American Mercury, volume 65, New York, N.Y.: American Mercury Magazine, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 220, column 2:
   • With great interest I learn from a pamphlet by Mr. Georg Barth, expert in zymurgy at Munich, which I have received lately, that the author, in his essay on "The Best Method of Storing Hops," arrives at the same conclusions which I have drawn in this article. 1899 December, Constanz Schmitz, “Cold Storage of Hops”, in Ice and Refrigeration: A Monthly Review of the Ice, Ice Making, Refrigerating, Cold Storage and Kindred Trades, volume XVII, number 6, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: H. S. Rich & Co., →OCLC, page 399, column 2:
   • Later, in 1897, the German chemist Eduard Buchner refined [Louis] Pasteur's work by showing that the yeasts did not actually have to be alive to yield the fermentation process, as it is an enzymatic secretion of yeast that metabolizes sugar to produce alcohol. This refinement led to Buchner's receipt of the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for advancements in zymurgy. 2010, “FERMENTATION”, in Rachel Black, editor, Alcohol in Popular Culture: An Encyclopedia, Santa Barbara, Calif.; Denver, Colo.: Greenwood, →ISBN, page 87:
   • ZYMURGY. A name applied to that department of technological chemistry which treats of the scientific principles of wine-making, brewing, distilling, and the preparation of yeast and vinegar,—processes in which fermentation plays the principal part. [1869, Henry Watts, “ZUMURGY”, in A Dictionary of Chemistry and the Allied Branches of Other Sciences. […], volumes V (Quadrantoxide–Zymurgy), London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 1086:
   • Going by the amount of liquor you consume, I thought the only science that interested you was zymurgy, which would make you an illegal scientist because you are not quite eighteen yet. 2013 July 9, Chimwemwe Simwanza, chapter 16, in Beauty’s Promise, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 126:
2. (no-plural, uncountable, usually) The practice of using fermentation to produce alcoholic beverages.
   • Of Zymurgy I little know, / Perhaps because I little knead, / And can but make a sorry show / In singing liaisons of feed, / Flour, fodder,— […] 1896 June, “Clacks [An Excellent Recipe for Making Brown Bread]”, in The Clack Book, volume I, number 3, Lansing, Mich.: Wells & Hudson, →OCLC, page 83:
   • Of course, tastes in brewing have changed (and diversified) since zymurgy’s early days. For example, hops are now considered a staple beer ingredient, but their use was considered illegal by the Brewer’s Guild in England until the late fifteenth century. 1996, Patrick Higgins, Maura Kate Kilgore, Paul Hertlein, “Introduction”, in The Homebrewer’s Recipe Guide: More than 175 Original Beer Recipes, including Magnificent Pale Ales, Ambers, Stouts, Lagers, and Seasonal Brews, Plus Tips from the Master Brewers (A Fireside Book), New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page xx:

Deriveds

zymurgic · zymurgist · zymurgical · aardvark to zymurgy

Relateds

zythepsary · zythology · zymotechnology · zymology · zymosis · zymotechnics

Synonyms

zymology

Translations (6)

pt zimurgia (chemistry of fermentation with yeasts (cognates only) — see also zymology) · tr zimürji (chemistry of fermentation with yeasts (cognates only) — see also zymology) · pl zymologia (chemistry of fermentation with yeasts (cognates only) — see also zymology) · fi juoman valmistus käyttämällä (practice of using fermentation to produce alcoholic beverages) · pl zymologia (practice of using fermentation to produce alcoholic beverages) · fi juomien käyttäminen (practice of using fermentation to produce alcoholic beverages)