yeast

[yeest]

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noun

any of various small, single-celled fungi of the phylum Ascomycota that reproduce by fission or budding, the daughter cells often remaining attached, and that are capable of fermenting carbohydrates into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

any of several yeasts of the genus Saccharomyces, used in brewing alcoholic beverages, as a leaven in baking breads, and in pharmacology as a source of vitamins and proteins.Compare bottom yeast, brewer's yeast, top yeast.

spume; foam.

ferment; agitation.

something that causes ferment or agitation.

verb (used without object)

to ferment.

to be covered with froth.

Origin of yeast

before 1000; Middle English ye(e)st (noun), Old English gist, gyst; cognate with Dutch gist, German Gischt yeast, foam, Old Norse jastr yeast, Greek zestós boiled, Sanskrit yásati (it) boils

Related formsyeast·less, adjectiveyeast·like, adjective

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

Related Words for yeast

fungus, ferment, leavening, froth, lather, spume, foam, catalyst

Examples from the Web for yeast

Contemporary Examples of yeast

The malted barley, yeast, and water are cooked, fermented, and distilled exactly the same.
How Much Do Whisky Casks Really Affect Taste?
December 10, 2014
During fermentation after about 15 percent alcohol, yeast starts producing histamines.
Yes, Women Can Make Great Wine
Jordan Salcito
March 22, 2014
Another cure is Kvass, a slightly alcoholic beverage made by soaking dried rye bread with sugar and yeast.
The Wildest Hangover Cures From Around the World
Nina Strochlic
November 29, 2013
To make the dough, combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
Unusual Pizza to Cook on Your Grill
Lydia Brownlow
June 15, 2012
That mat is actually a culture: in technical terms, a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.
Is Celebrity Favorite Kombucha Really a Health and Anti-Aging Cure?
Anneli Rufus
February 28, 2012

Historical Examples of yeast

Let it stand till it becomes only milk-warm, and then stir in the yeast.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
If you use fruit, put in half a wine glass more of the yeast.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
If the yeast is stirred in while the liquor is too warm, it will be likely to turn sour.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Then mix it smoothly with the yeast, and stir it into the household flour.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
Make the milk tepid, and mix smoothly with the German yeast.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for yeast

yeast

noun

any of various single-celled ascomycetous fungi of the genus Saccharomyces and related genera, which reproduce by budding and are able to ferment sugars: a rich source of vitamins of the B complex

any yeastlike fungus, esp of the genus Candida, which can cause thrush in areas infected with it

a commercial preparation containing yeast cells and inert material such as meal, used in raising dough for bread or for fermenting beer, whisky, etcSee also brewer's yeast

a preparation containing yeast cells, used to treat diseases caused by vitamin B deficiency

froth or foam, esp on beer

verb

(intr) to froth or foam

Derived Formsyeastless, adjectiveyeastlike, adjective

Word Origin for yeast

Old English giest; related to Old Norse jostr, Old High German jesan, Swedish esa, Norwegian asa, Sanskrit yasati

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 yeast

Old English gist "yeast," common West Germanic (cf. Middle High German gest, German Gischt "foam, froth," Old High German jesan, German gären "to ferment"), from PIE *jes- "boil, foam, froth" (cf. Sanskrit yasyati "boils, seethes," Greek zein "to boil," Welsh ias "seething, foaming").

yeast in Medicine

yeast

[yēst]

n.

Any of various unicellular fungi of the genus Saccharomyces, especially S. cerevisiae, reproducing by budding and from ascospores and capable of fermenting carbohydrates.

Any of various similar fungi.

A commercial preparation in either powdered or compressed form containing yeast cells and inert material and used especially as a leavening agent or as a dietary supplement.

yeast in Science

yeast

[yēst]

Any of various one-celled fungi that reproduce by budding and can cause the fermentation of carbohydrates, producing carbon dioxide and ethanol. There are some 600 known species of yeast, though they do not form a natural phylogenic group. Most yeasts are ascomycetes, but there are also yeast species among the basidiomycetes and zygomycetes. The budding processes in yeasts show a wide range of variations. In many yeasts, for example, the buds break away as diploid cells. Other yeasts reproduce asexually only after meiosis, and their haploid buds act as gametes that can combine to form a diploid cell, which functions as an ascus and undergoes meiosis to produce haploid spores. Still other yeasts form buds in both haploid and diploid phases. The ascomycete yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used in baking to produce the carbon dioxide that leavens dough and batter. It has been the subject of extensive research in cell biology, and its genome was the first to be sequenced among eukaryotes. A variety of yeasts of the genus Saccharomyces are used in making beer and wine to provide alcohol content and flavor. Certain other yeasts, such as Candida albicans, are pathogenic in humans.