Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “foment” come from?

Foment derives from Middle English fomenten, from Old French fomenter, from Late Latin fomentare, from Latin fomentum meaning a warm poultice, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root dʰegʷʰ- meaning to burn or warm.

foment (English): To incite or cause troublesome acts; to...

Definitions

  1. To incite or cause troublesome acts; to...

Ancestry of “foment”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfomenten—
2Old Frenchfomenter—
3Late Latinfomentare—
4Latinfōmentum—
5Latinfoverethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
6LatinfoveoI warm, keep warm; I nurture, cherish, foster; I...
7Proto-Italicfoɣʷeōto warm, to make warm, to keep warm
8Proto-Italicθoɣʷejō—
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰogʷʰ-éye-ti—
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰegʷʰ-to burn; warm, hot

Words derived from “foment”

  • fomenting
  • fomenter
  • fomentress
  • fomenteth
  • refoment
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- →