Word of the Day

Sunday, September 29, 2002

foment

\foh-MENT; FOH-ment\ , transitive verb;

To nurse to life or activity; to incite; to abet; to instigate; -- often in a bad sense.

noun:

Fomentation; the act of fomenting.

State of excitation.

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Quotes:

Cynical politicians may even foment conflicts among groups to advance their own power.

-- Martha Minow, Not Only for Myself

Here, over many cups of coffee and other brews, John Adams, James Otis, and Paul Revere met to foment rebellion, prompting Daniel Webster to call it "the headquarters of the Revolution."

-- Mark Pendergrast, Uncommon Grounds

Having burned to taste the foment of the sixties, I romanticized Diego's experience of it.

-- Katherine Russell Rich, The Red Devil

Origin:

Foment is from Latin fomentum, "fomentation," from fovere, "to warm, to foster, to encourage."