Welcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday, a meme for people who like to learn new words. Read here and visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion if you want to join in and expand your vocabulary.
My wondrous word this week comes from an e-mail sent by my son’s soccer team manager. He was addressing a touchy issue (there can be lots of touchy issues in travel sports) and said something like:
I don’t intend to foment unrest among parents…
I’d never heard of this word foment and had to look it up! Thank you Brian for giving me a word nerd challenge.
foment \’fo-ment\ verb from the Latin fomentare and fomentum to compress, add heat; akin to Lituanian degti to burn and Sanskrit dahati it burns
to cause or try to cause the growth or development of something bad or harmful
Merriam-Webster gives a great example of foment:
John Adams’s wife Abigail told him that if women were not remembered by the new American government, they would “foment a rebellion.”
You tell him, Abigail.
Word Nerd Workout
Think of a synonym for foment. I came up with “incite”, but feel free to get more creative.
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
Julia
My mom speaks Lithuanian so I’ll have to ask her about degti. The first synonym that came to my mind was stir up.
Another good one, Kathy. Thanks for playing.
I’ve always wondered what that word meant. Thanks, Julia!
I’m with Dianne – hooray for strong vocabulary! I see it far too seldom.
How’s instigate for a synonym?
Instigate is an awesome synonym and thanks for taking the word nerd challenge!
I am seriously impressed that your son’s soccer coach used that word! Hurray for well-written emails!
I echo Dianne’s comment – wow!
He is a university professor – not even in English but environmental science- and a knowledgeable guy. I’m sure I’ll learn more words from him. I’ll be sure to share. 😉