yeast

[ yeest ]

/ yist /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR yeast ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

yearly, yearly meeting, yearn, yearning, yeasayer, yeast, yeast cake, yeast nucleic acid, yeasty, yeats, yeats, william butler

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 forms

yeast·less, adjectiveyeast·like, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
During fermentation after about 15 percent alcohol, yeast starts producing histamines.
Yes, Women Can Make Great Wine|Jordan Salcito|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
One of the things in which she particularly excelled was potato cakes raised with yeast.
Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled during Her Visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans"|Edith M. Thomas
Many other substances contain fermenting qualities, and are, therefore, sometimes used as substitutes for yeast and leaven.
Popular Technology, Vol. I (of 2)|Edward Hazen
It throws off little or no yeast, because the fermentation was nearly finished in the tun.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
In former times this was taken in the form of fresh or dried brewers' yeast, and it was, if unpleasant, a very effectual remedy.
The Healthy Life, Vol. V, Nos. 24-28|Various
The flasks were then well shaken, and the yeast cell or cells settled to the bottom, and gave rise to a separate yeast speck.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for yeast

yeast

/ (jiːst) /

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 Forms

yeastless, 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

Medicine definitions for yeast

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.

Science definitions for yeast

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.

yeast

noun

verb (used without object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of yeast

Related forms

Examples from the Web for yeast

British Dictionary definitions for yeast

yeast

noun

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for yeast

Medicine definitions for yeast

yeast

n.

Science definitions for yeast

yeast