ferment: Meaning and Definition of

fer•ment

Pronunciation: (n. fûr'mentv.f&schwar&sylpment'), [key]
— n.
  1. Also calledany of a group of living organisms, as yeasts, molds, and certain bacteria, that cause fermentation.
  2. Also calledan enzyme.
  3. fermentation.
  4. agitation; unrest; excitement; commotion; tumult: The new painters worked in a creative ferment. The capital lived in a political ferment.
—v.t.
  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.
—v.i.
  1. to be fermented; undergo fermentation.
  2. to seethe with agitation or excitement.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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