1
: causing or producing a substance that causes fermentation
fermentative organisms
2
: of, relating to, or produced by fermentation

Examples of fermentative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Due to low levels of atmospheric oxygen, the process may have been fermentative, still found in microbes such as yeast today. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fermentative was in 1661

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Cite this Entry

“Fermentative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fermentative. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Medical Definition

fermentative

adjective
1
: causing or producing a substance that causes fermentation
fermentative organisms
2
: of, relating to, or produced by fermentation
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