Word: foment (verb)

Associations

The word "foment" means to encourage or stir up something, usually something negative like trouble, rebellion, or unrest.

• The politician was accused of fomenting unrest among the workers. Here, "fomenting" means causing or encouraging unrest.
• The leader tried to foment a rebellion against the government. This means the leader encouraged or started the rebellion.
• Social media can sometimes foment anger or misinformation. This means social media can cause or increase anger.

A well-known synonym is "incite." The difference is that "incite" often means to provoke immediate action or violence, while "foment" can mean to encourage or promote something over time, not always immediate.

Substitution

Instead of "foment," you can use:

• incite (more direct and immediate)
• provoke (to cause a reaction)
• stir up (informal, to cause trouble)
• encourage (more neutral, can be positive or negative)

Example: "He fomented a protest" could also be "He incited a protest" or "He stirred up a protest."

Deconstruction

"Foment" comes from Latin "fomentum," meaning "a foment" or "a poultice" (something warm used to heal). Over time, it changed to mean "to stir up" or "to promote" especially bad feelings or actions.

There is no prefix or suffix here; it's a simple verb borrowed from Latin.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when someone might foment a positive change instead of a negative one? How would that change the meaning?
• Have you seen news or stories where someone was accused of fomenting trouble? What happened?
• How do you think "foment" compares to "encourage" in everyday conversations? When would you choose one over the other?