definitions

foment

[ foh-ment ]
/ foʊˈmɛnt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR foment ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to instigate or foster (discord, rebellion, etc.); promote the growth or development of: to foment trouble; to foment discontent.
to apply warm water or medicated liquid, ointments, etc., to (the surface of the body).

RELATED WORDS

brew, incite, arouse, abet, set, raise, excite, goad, agitate, start, encourage, foster, nurse, nurture, promote, spur, stimulate, cultivate, quicken

Nearby words

folsom, folsom man, folsom point, folía, fomalhaut, foment, fomentation, fomes, fomite, fomites, fomo

Origin of foment

1350–1400; Middle English fomenten < Late Latin fōmentāre, verbal derivative of Latin fōmentum soothing application, poultice, contraction of *fōvimentum, equivalent to fōv(ēre) to keep warm + -i- -i- + -mentum -ment

Related forms

fo·ment·er, nounun·fo·ment·ed, adjective

Can be confused

ferment foment
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for foment

British Dictionary definitions for foment

foment

/ (fəˈmɛnt) /

verb (tr)

to encourage or instigate (trouble, discord, etc); stir up
med to apply heat and moisture to (a part of the body) to relieve pain and inflammation

Derived Forms

fomentation (ˌfəʊmɛnˈteɪʃən), nounfomenter, noun

Word Origin for foment

C15: from Late Latin fōmentāre, from Latin fōmentum a poultice, ultimately from fovēre to foster

usage

Both foment and ferment can be used to talk about stirring up trouble: he was accused of fomenting/fermenting unrest . Only ferment can be used intransitively or as a noun: his anger continued to ferment (not foment); rural areas were unaffected by the ferment in the cities
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012