foment
UK[fə(ʊ)ˈmɛnt]US[foʊˈmɛnt]
v
To encourage or stir up (undesirable or violent feelings or actions).
v
To bathe (a part of the body) with warm or medicated lotions.
Etymology
The verb 'foment' entered English in the early 15th century from the Old French 'fomenter', which itself derived from the Late Latin 'fomentare', meaning 'to apply warm lotions, to foment'. This Latin verb came from 'fomentum', a noun for a warm application or poultice, which is rooted in 'fovere', meaning 'to warm, cherish, foster'. The semantic journey is a clear metaphor from the physical to the abstract: just as a warm compress fosters bodily heat and healing, to foment discord or revolution is to apply a kind of social or emotional heat to encourage its growth. The modern sense of instigating trouble, which emerged in the 17th century, retains this core idea of nurturing or stimulating a development, albeit a negative one.
Analysis
The entire word 'foment' is a simplex loanword from Latin. It does not contain separable, meaningful English morphemes in its current spelling.
Examples
The politician was accused of using inflammatory rhetoric to foment unrest among the population.
His speeches were designed to foment rebellion against the established authority.
The nurse will foment the injured area to reduce swelling and promote healing.