fermentation

English

Etymology

From Middle English fermentacioun, from Latin fermentātiō, fermentātiōnem. By surface analysis, ferment +‎ -ation.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌfɜːmənˈteɪʃən/, /ˌfɜːmɛnˈteɪʃən/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌfɜɹmənˈteɪʃən/, /ˌfɜɹmɛnˈteɪʃən/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

fermentation (countable and uncountable, plural fermentations)

  1. (biochemistry) Any of many anaerobic biochemical reactions in which an enzyme (or several enzymes produced by a microorganism) catalyses the conversion of one substance into another; especially the conversion (using yeast) of sugars to alcohol or acetic acid with the evolution of carbon dioxide
  2. A state of agitation or excitement; a ferment.
    • 1678, Jeremy Taylor, “The History of the Life and Death of the Holy Jesus: […]. The First Part.”, in Antiquitates Christianæ: Or, the History of the Life and Death of the Holy Jesus: […], London: […] E. Flesher, and R. Norton, for R[ichard] Royston, […], →OCLC, ad section IX (Considerations upon the Baptizing, Fasting, and Temptation of the Holy Jesus by the Devil), discourse IV (Of Baptism), part II (Of Baptizing Infants), page 130:
      [T]he Grace that is then given to us is like a piece of Leven put into a lump of dough, and Faith and Repentance do in all the periods of our life put it into fermentation and activity.
    • 1852 January – 1853 April, Charles Kingsley, Jun., “Preface”, in Hypatia: Or, New Foes with an Old Face. […], volume I, London: John W[illiam] Parker and Son, […], published 1853, →OCLC, pages xi–xii:
      The universal fusion of races, languages, and customs, which had gone on for four centuries under Roman rule, had produced a corresponding fusion of creeds, an universal fermentation of human thought and faith.
    • 1929, Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, page 364:
      It seems that the spiritual fermentation of the cabbalists, who […] aroused the dormant susceptibilities of the Orient, penetrated also into Yemen and had the effect of a messianic message to the languishing souls longing for redemption.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

From Latin fermentātiōnem.

Noun

fermentation c (singular definite fermentationen, plural indefinite fermentationer)

  1. (rare) fermentation
    Synonym: fermentering

Declension

Declension of fermentation
common
gender
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative fermentation fermentationen fermentationer fermentationerne
genitive fermentations fermentationens fermentationers fermentationernes

References

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fermentātiōnem. By surface analysis, fermenter +‎ -ation.

Pronunciation

Noun

fermentation f (plural fermentations)

  1. fermentation

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → Romanian: fermentație
  • → Turkish: fermantasyon

Further reading