Zymotic
/zaɪˈmɒtɪk/noun
Relating to fermentation, especially to diseases once believed to arise from a fermentative process.
Did you know?In 19th-century medicine, zymotic diseases included cholera, typhus, and smallpox, reflecting the mistaken but influential idea that illness was caused by internal fermentation.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ζύμη (zymē)
“Leaven, yeast, or ferment—the substance that makes dough rise or liquids ferment.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ζυμοῦν (zymoun)
“To leaven or cause fermentation.”
Late Greek
Greek
ζυμωτικός (zymōtikos)
“Causing or relating to fermentation.”
17th Century
Latin
zymoticus
“Relating to fermentation; a scholarly Latin form derived from Greek.”
19th Century
English
zymotic
“Relating to fermentation or diseases thought to be produced by fermentation.”
Modern English
English
zymotic
“Pertaining to fermentation, especially in historical medical classification.”