Adjacent Words

Foment definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FOMENT', v.t. [L. fomento, from foveo, to warm.]
1. To apply warm lotions to; to bathe with warm medicated liquors, or with flannel dipped in warm water.
2. To cherish with heat; to encourage growth. [Not usual.]
3. To encourage; to abet; to cherish and promote by excitements; in a bad sense; as, to foment ill humors.
So we say, to foment troubles or disturbances; to foment intestine broils.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: try to stir up public opinion [syn: agitate, foment, stir up]
2: bathe with warm water or medicated lotions; "His legs should be fomented"

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, to apply a warm substance to, from Late Latin fomentare, from Latin fomentum compress, from fov?re to heat, soothe; akin to Lithuanian degti to burn, Sanskrit dahati it burns Date: circa 1613 to promote the growth or development of ; rouse, incite <foment a rebellion> Synonyms: see incite • fomenter noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 instigate or stir up (trouble, sedition, etc.). 2 a bathe with warm or medicated liquid. b apply warmth to. Derivatives: fomenter n. Etymology: ME f. F fomenter f. LL fomentare f. L fomentum poultice, lotion f. fovere heat, cherish

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Foment Fo"ment, n. 1. Fomentation. 2. State of excitation; -- perh. confused with ferment. He came in no conciliatory mood, and the foment was kept up. --Julian Ralph.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Foment Fo*ment", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fomented; p. pr. & vb. n. Fomenting.] [F. fomenter, fr. L. fomentare, fr. fomentum (for fovimentum) a warm application or lotion, fr. fovere to warm or keep warm; perh. akin to Gr. ? to roast, and E. bake.] 1. To apply a warm lotion to; to bathe with a cloth or sponge wet with warm water or medicated liquid. 2. To cherish with heat; to foster. [Obs.] Which these soft fires . . . foment and warm. --Milton. 3. To nurse to life or activity; to cherish and promote by excitements; to encourage; to abet; to instigate; -- used often in a bad sense; as, to foment ill humors. --Locke. But quench the choler you foment in vain. --Dryden. Exciting and fomenting a religious rebellion. --Southey.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(foments, fomenting, fomented) If someone or something foments trouble or violent opposition, they cause it to develop. (FORMAL) They accused strike leaders of fomenting violence. = incite VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Stupe, bathe with warm lotions, apply warm lotions to. 2. Excite, instigate, stimulate, brew, stir up, encourage, abet, promote.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, abet, advance, agitate, agitation, allay, alleviate, anesthetize, annoy, appease, arouse, assuage, awake, awaken, benumb, blow the coals, blow up, bluster, bobbery, boil, boiling, brouhaha, bustle, call forth, call up, chafe, churn, commotion, conturbation, cook, cultivate, cushion, deaden, deaden the pain, diminish, discomposure, disorder, disquiet, disquietude, disturbance, dull, ease, ease matters, ebullition, egg on, electric-heat, embroilment, encourage, enkindle, enrage, excite, excitement, fan, fan the fire, fan the flame, feed the fire, ferment, fermentation, fever, feverishness, fidgets, fire, fire up, flame, flap, flurry, fluster, flutteration, forward, foster, frenzy, fume, further, fuss, galvanize, gas-heat, give relief, goad, heat, heat up, hot, hot up, hot-air-heat, hot-water-heat, hubbub, hurly-burly, impassion, incense, incite, inflame, infuriate, initiate, inquietude, inspire, instigate, jitters, jumpiness, key up, kindle, lather up, lay, lessen, light the fuse, light up, lull, madden, maelstrom, malaise, mitigate, moil, mollify, motivate, move, mull, nerviness, nervosity, nervousness, nettle, numb, nurse, nurture, overexcite, overheat, pad, palliate, perturbation, pique, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, preheat, promote, prompt, provoke, put up to, raise, rally, recook, reduce, reheat, relieve, restlessness, roil, rouse, rout, row, salve, seethe, seething, set, set astir, set fire to, set on, set on fire, sic on, slacken, slake, soften, soothe, spur, start, steam, steam up, stimulate, stir, stir the blood, stir the embers, stir the feelings, stir up, stoke up, stupe, subdue, summon up, superheat, swirl, tepefy, tickle, to-do, trepidation, trepidity, tumult, tumultuation, turbidity, turbulence, turmoil, turn on, twitter, unease, unrest, upset, urge, wake, wake up, waken, warm, warm over, warm the blood, warm up, whet, whip up, work into, work up