Standard Lemma guide

fermentation

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌfɜːmənˈteɪʃən/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌfɜːmɛnˈteɪʃən/
  • General-American: /ˌfɜɹmənˈteɪʃən/
  • General-American: /ˌfɜɹmɛnˈteɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: F ER2 M AH0 N T EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of many anaerobic biochemical reactions in which an enzyme (or several enzymes produced by a microorganism) catalyses the conversion of one substance into another; especially the conversion (using yeast) of sugars to alcohol or acetic acid with the evolution of carbon dioxide

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A state of agitation or excitement; a ferment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a process in which an agent causes an organic substance to break down into simpler substances; especially, the anaerobic breakdown of sugar into alcohol

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: zymosis, zymolysis, fermenting, ferment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: chemical process, chemical change, chemical action

Narrower terms: bottom fermentation, top fermentation, vinification

4

noun

Meaning 4

a state of agitation or turbulent change or development

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the political ferment produced new leadership
  • social unrest

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: agitation, ferment, tempestuousness, unrest

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: turbulence, upheaval, Sturm und Drang

History

Etymology

From Middle English fermentacioun, from Latin fermentātiō, fermentātiōnem. By surface analysis, ferment + -ation.

Across languages

Translations

70 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: ферментация (fermentacija) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Catalan: fermentació — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Chinese Cantonese: 發酵 /发酵 (faat3 gaau3) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Eastern Min Chinese: 發酵 /发酵 (huák-gáu) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Chinese: 發酵 /发酵 (zh-min-nan) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Chinese Mandarin: 發酵 /发酵 (fājiào) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Czech: kvašení — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Danish: fermentering — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Danish: gæring — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Dutch: fermentatie — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Dutch: gisting — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Finnish: käyminen — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Galician: fermentación — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Georgian: დუღილი (duɣili) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Georgian: ფერმენტაცია (permenṭacia) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • German: Fermentation — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • German: Gärung — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Greek: ζύμωση (zýmosi) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Indonesian: fermentasi — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Indonesian: peragian — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Irish: coipeadh — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Italian: fermentazione — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Japanese: 発酵 — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Japanese: 醗酵 (hakkō) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Korean: 발효 (balhyo) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Northern Kurdish: meyandin — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Latin: fermentātiō — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Latvian: rūgšana — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Macedonian: вриење (vrienje) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Macedonian: ферментација (fermentacija) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Malay: penapaian — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Māori: whakamoītanga — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Mongolian: исэлт (iselt) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Mongolian: хөөлт (xöölt) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gjæring — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Norwegian Bokmål: fermentering — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: gjæring — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: fermentering — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Occitan: fermentacion — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Polish: fermentacja — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Portuguese: fermentação — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Quechua: p'uchquy — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Romanian: fermentare — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Romanian: fermentație — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Russian: фермента́ция (fermentácija) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Russian: броже́ние (brožénije) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Slovene: vrenje — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Spanish: fermentación — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Swahili: uchachushaji — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Swedish: jäsning — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Swedish: fermentering — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Tagalog: pagbuburo — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Tagalog: pamamanis — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Tagalog: pagkapanis — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Turkish: fermantasyon — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Ukrainian: броді́ння (brodínnja) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Ukrainian: ферментува́ння (fermentuvánnja) — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Vietnamese: lên men — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Volapük: färmäntam — anaerobic biochemical reaction
  • Catalan: fermentació — state of agitation or excitement
  • Finnish: käymistila — state of agitation or excitement
  • Greek: ζύμωση (zýmosi) — state of agitation or excitement
  • Latin: tumor — state of agitation or excitement
  • Latin: fermentātiō — state of agitation or excitement
  • Macedonian: вриење (vrienje) — state of agitation or excitement
  • Macedonian: превирање (previranje) — state of agitation or excitement
  • Russian: возбужде́ние (vozbuždénije) — state of agitation or excitement
  • Russian: волне́ние (volnénije) — state of agitation or excitement
  • Slovene: vrenje — state of agitation or excitement
  • Spanish: fermentación — state of agitation or excitement
Real reading context

fermentation in complete knowledge articles

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