foment
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English
Etymology
From Middle English fomenten, a borrowing from Old French fomenter, from Late Latin fomentare, from Latin fōmentum (“lotion”), from fovere (“heat, cherish”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fəʊˈmɛnt/
- (US) IPA(key): /foʊˈmɛnt/, /fəˈmɛnt/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛnt
- Homophone: ferment (in some dialects, unstressed)
Verb
foment (third-person singular simple present foments, present participle fomenting, simple past and past participle fomented)
- (transitive) To incite or cause troublesome acts; to encourage; to instigate.
- He was arrested for fomenting a riot; after all, it's bad enough being in a riot but starting one is much worse.
- Foreign governments have tried to foment unrest.
- January 7 2021, Peter Walker, “Tories urged to suspend politicians who likened US violence to anti-Brexit protests”, in The Guardian:
- Boris Johnson and senior Conservative ministers have vigorously condemned the violence in Washington, but have largely steered clear of condemning Trump for fomenting it.
- (medicine, transitive) To apply a poultice to; to bathe with a cloth or sponge.
- Synonym: beath
- 1904, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Abbey Grange, Norton, published 2005, page 1178:
- The maid had entered with us, and began once more to foment the bruise upon her mistress's brow.
Derived terms
Translations
to incite or cause
|
(medicine) to apply a poultice to
Noun
foment (plural foments)
- Fomentation.
- 1892, Julian Ralph, On Canada's Frontier:
- He came in no conciliatory mood, and the foment was kept up.
References
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “foment”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Catalan
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin fōmentum.
Pronunciation
Noun
foment m (plural foments)
Related terms
Further reading
- “foment” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.