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If you had sore muscles in the 1600s, your doctor might have advised you to foment the injury, perhaps with heated lotions or warm wax. Does this sound like an odd prescription? It's less so if you know that foment traces to the Latin verb fovēre, which means "to heat or warm" or "to soothe." The earliest documented English uses of foment appear in medical texts offering advice on how to soothe various aches and pains by the application of moist heat. In time, the idea of applying heat became a metaphor for stimulating or rousing to action. Foment then started being used in political contexts to mean "to stir up" or "to call to action."
Synonyms
incite, instigate, abet, foment mean to spur to action.
incite stresses a stirring up and urging on, and may or may not imply initiating.
instigate definitely implies responsibility for initiating another's action and often connotes underhandedness or evil intention.
abet implies both assisting and encouraging.
foment implies persistence in goading.
Examples of foment in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English, to apply a warm substance to, from Late Latin fomentare, from Latin fomentum compress, from fovēre to heat, soothe; akin to Lithuanian degti to burn, Sanskrit dahati it burns
circa 1613, in the meaning defined above
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“Foment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foment. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on foment
Nglish: Translation of foment for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of foment for Arabic Speakers
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