fermentation


fermentation (http://definr.com/fermentation)

     n 1: a process in which an agent causes an organic substance to
          break down into simpler substances; especially, the
          anaerobic breakdown of sugar into alcohol [syn: zymosis,
           zymolysis, fermenting, ferment]
     2: a state of agitation or turbulent change or development:
        "the political ferment produced a new leadership"; "social
        unrest" [syn: agitation, ferment, unrest]
     3: a chemical phenomenon in which an organic molecule splits
        into simpler substances [syn: ferment]