yeast/ferment
|yeast - fer-ment|
/jiːst/
microbe-driven rise/change
Etymology
'ferment' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'fermentum', where 'fervere' meant 'to boil' and 'fermentum' meant 'leaven' or 'that which causes fermentation'. 'yeast' originates from Old English 'ġēast' or Middle English 'yest', meaning 'foam' or 'yeast'.
'ferment' passed from Latin 'fermentum' into Old French and Middle English as 'ferment' and kept its association with leaven and chemical change; 'yeast' evolved from Old English 'ġēast' / Middle English 'yest' to the modern English 'yeast'.
Initially, 'ferment' and 'yeast' referred to physical froth or leavening agents (and processes like 'boiling' in Latin imagery); over time 'ferment' also took on figurative senses of causing social or political agitation, while 'yeast' became specialized as the biological agent used in baking and brewing.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a group of single-celled fungi (especially Saccharomyces species) used as a leavening agent in baking and in the fermentation of alcoholic beverages; also commonly the froth or foam produced during fermentation.
The baker added yeast to the dough to make the bread rise.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a substance (such as an enzyme or microorganism) that causes fermentation; figuratively, a cause of social or political unrest (a ferment).
New microbial ferments are important in cheese and yogurt production.
Synonyms
Verb 1
to undergo or cause to undergo chemical change (typically by yeast or bacteria) producing alcohol, acids, or gases — used of foods and drinks (e.g., to ferment grapes into wine).
They ferment the grapes to produce wine.
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Antonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/10/28 14:18