foment
[ foh-ment ]
/ foʊˈmɛnt /
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).
Nearby words
folsom, folsom man, folsom point, folía, fomalhaut, foment, fomentation, fomes, fomite, fomites, fomo
Origin of foment
Related formsfo·ment·er, nounun·fo·ment·ed, adjective
Can be confusedferment 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 Formsfomentation (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
Word Origin and History for foment
foment
early 15c., "apply hot liquids," from Old French fomenter (13c.) "apply hot compress (to a wound)," from Late Latin fomentare, from Latin fomentum "warm application, poultice," contraction of *fovimentum, from fovere "to warm; cherish, encourage" (see fever). Extended sense of "stimulate, instigate" (1620s) was in the French. Related: Fomented; fomenting.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper