fermented
/fərˈmen.tɪd/ IELTSAcademic
adjective
Fermented food or drink has been changed by bacteria or yeast. This process can make it sour, fizzy, stronger, or easier to digest.
- Fermented milk is popular in many homes.
- This sauce has a strong fermented smell.
- Yogurt is a fermented food.
Adinary Nuance
Fermented is about a process, not just a taste. Use it when food or drink has been changed by microbes, while sour, old, or spoiled describe the result more generally. In writing, fermented sounds more specific and technical than tasty everyday words like pickled or aged.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- lên men
- Spanish
- fermentado
- Chinese
- 发酵的
- Japanese
- 発酵した
- Korean
- 발효된
Etymology
Fermented comes from the verb ferment, from Latin fermentare, meaning "to make sour or leaven." It entered English through Old French in the Middle Ages.
Common phrases
fermented foodsfermented drinkfermented milk
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is fermented a good or bad word?
- It is usually neutral or positive. The meaning depends on the food or drink being described.
- What is the difference between fermented and spoiled?
- Fermented means changed in a controlled way by microbes. Spoiled means gone bad and unsafe or unpleasant.
- Is fermented formal or informal?
- It is a normal word in cooking, science, and health writing. It is also common in everyday speech.