zymotic
|zy-mo-tic|
🇺🇸
/zaɪˈmɑtɪk/
🇬🇧
/zaɪˈmɒtɪk/
pertaining to fermentation or infectious processes
Etymology
'zymotic' originates from Modern Latin 'zymoticus', ultimately from Greek, specifically the word 'zymōtikos', where 'zyme' meant 'leaven' or 'ferment'.
'zymotic' changed from the Late Latin/Modern Latin word 'zymoticus', derived from Greek 'zymōtikos', and entered English in the 19th century in medical contexts as 'zymotic'.
Initially, it meant 'pertaining to fermentation' (from 'leaven' or 'ferment'), and this sense extended in medical usage to mean 'relating to infectious disease'; the term is now rare or archaic in everyday use.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or resulting from fermentation (chemical change by yeast or bacteria).
The brewer noted the zymotic activity that produced the distinctive flavor.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 2
(chiefly historical/medical) Relating to infectious disease or capable of causing infection; contagious.
Nineteenth-century physicians often described cholera and typhus as zymotic diseases.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/28 12:09