Where does “fermentable” come from?
Fermentable comes from English ferment plus the suffix -able, ultimately from Latin fervere meaning to boil or bubble, derived from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.
fermentable (English): Able to ferment or be fermented; Any substance...
Definitions
- Able to ferment or be fermented; Any substance...
Ancestry of “fermentable”, step by step
fermentable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English able
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | able | Easy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to |
| 2 | Middle English | able | capable, expert, qualified, skilful, competent |
| 3 | Old French | able | able; capable |
| 4 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 5 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English ferment
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ferment | To react, using fermentation; especially to... |
| 2 | Middle French | ferment | — |
| 3 | Latin | fermentāre | — |
| 4 | Latin | fermentum | fermentation, leavening; yeast, ferment; anger,... |
| 5 | Latin | ferveō | to be hot |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | ferweō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrewh₁- | to boil; to brew |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |