Fermented

How to spell fermented

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce fermented

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does fermented mean?

1. adjectiveHaving undergone fermentation, a process in which microbes such as yeast or bacteria break down sugars.
2. verbUnderwent or caused to undergo fermentation in the past.

Fermented in a sentence

• adjective

  The deli sells jars of fermented cabbage alongside the pickles.

• verb

  The brewers fermented the barley for two weeks before bottling.

• adjective

  Fermented tea takes several weeks to develop its sour flavour.

• verb

  The grape juice fermented slowly in the cool cellar.

Where does fermented come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin fermentum, which meant a leaven or yeast, literally 'that which makes dough rise', and which was itself built on the verb fervere, meaning 'to boil' or 'to seethe'. The connection makes vivid sense, since a mixture that is actively fermenting bubbles and froths as though it were boiling, even when it is cold. English took the verb 'ferment' from Old French in the late 1300s, originally in the context of dough and brewing, and the past form 'fermented' followed naturally. The same fervere root also gives us 'fervent' and 'fervour', words about heat and passion rather than yeast. Knowing that the core spelling is simply the noun 'ferment' plus a regular '-ed' is the easiest way to keep the single 'r' and single 'm' in place.

How the word is built

• ferment (from Latin fermentum: a leavening agent, something that causes rising)
• -ed (past tense / past participle and adjective suffix)