Kittenscute t1_j9l0tri wrote on February 22, 2023 at 7:18 PM

Reply to comment by Shmoo_the_Parader in Attacks on US Power Grid Rose Dramatically In 2022, Number Expected To Rise by Sasu105

https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/chooseyourwords/ferment-foment/

Seems like...it's okay?

> To ferment can also mean to stir up. When you ferment something, you agitate it, you work it up, and then it changes. You can ferment people, too! An inspiring leader might ferment a revolution! See the word in action:

Ferment can be either positive or negative, then foment is almost always negative.

Shmoo_the_Parader t1_j9ljsn6 wrote on February 22, 2023 at 9:13 PM

Gotcha. I was unaware of that alt definition. Thx!

Shmoo_the_Parader t1_j9n7uck wrote on February 23, 2023 at 4:20 AM

The headline from that link:

"to ferment is to cause a chemical change to food or drink, like turning grapes into wine, but to foment is to stir up trouble, like turning a group of people into an angry mob."

Fermenting is a fancy word for rotting. Fomenting is arousing or inciting. Neither have necessarily positive or negative connotations. One could ferment a tasty ale or a noxious concoction. One could foment civil disobedience or civil war.