verb / noun
ferment
fer-MENT/fərˈment/
To break down organic material through microorganisms.
Tiny bubbles rise through the brine as cabbage ferments in the jar.
Etymology
Fermentare described leavening or causing something to rise. That older focus on fermentation’s visible effect connects with the modern sense of undergoing or causing microbial chemical breakdown.
In context
food sits there for longer it begins to ferment that causes bloating and gas nobody feels good from that
More examples
- Yeast ferments the sugars in grape juice.
- They fermented the milk to make yogurt.
- Yeast serves as a ferment in bread dough.
Forms
ferment · ferments · fermented · fermenting
fermentation noun — The breakdown of organic material by microorganisms.
Similar words
- decompose
- Covers organic breakdown generally, not just fermentation by microorganisms.
- rot
- Usually implies unwanted decay rather than controlled biochemical change.