From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfermentfer‧ment1 /fəˈment $ fər-/ verb [intransitive, transitive] DFDHCif fruit, beer, wine etc ferments, or if it is fermented, the sugar in it changes to alcohol fermented fruit juice —fermentation /ˌfɜːmenˈteɪʃən $ ˌfɜːrmən-/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
ferment• If the temperature is too low the beer will stop fermenting.• It is much faster to ferment, effectively raising capacity.• At the beginning of the season, when the vegetation within is actively fermenting, it may overheat.• Kikkoman Soy Sauce takes a full 6 months to naturally ferment, just like a fine wine.• Given an adequate amount of glucose, the ethanol content of a fermenting liquid rises until it reaches about 12 percent.• Pesso means to bake, ripen, ferment or digest.• Set the bucket in the position where you intend to ferment the beer.fermentfer‧ment2 /ˈfɜːment $ ˈfɜːr-/ noun [uncountable] PPa situation of great excitement or trouble in a country, especially caused by political change SYN turmoilin ferment In the 1960s, American society was in ferment.political/intellectual/cultural etc ferment the artistic ferment of the late sixth centuryExamples from the Corpus
ferment• The reformulations are there because there is a ferment of thought in process, demanding words.• Yet there is a great religious fervor and ferment evident among not only young people but old and middle-aged as well.• And like the Hill, here people of such different backgrounds were tossed together into one grand ferment.• Not all the banlieues are in ferment, of course.• Town-planning ideas were in ferment from another direction too.• Thirteen others arrested during the ferment are being brought before the courts in two batches.political/intellectual/cultural etc ferment• It was an age of intellectual ferment too.Origin ferment1 (1300-1400) Old French fermenter, from Latin fermentum “yeast” 