The summer of 2020 seemed torn from a page of fiction. A global pandemic shut down countries. In the west, cities and towns were wiped from the map by fire. In the east, cities and towns were drowned by flood. And everyone suffered together in record setting heat waves. It seemed that Mother Earth had finally found her voice. And she wasn’t happy.

But she did not scream in a vacuum. The United States was gripped by country wide protests and street violence. The world over, leaders with authoritarian proclivities gripped their countries by the throat. Citizens’ grievances were clear and they were fair. And everyone, it seemed, played a part in a great information war.

Many pointed to Donald J. Trump as the source of this global strife. The catalyst of worldwide chaos. He was, after all, an easy target and objectively malevolent, and he fomented violence and unrest by stroking people’s most base instincts. The cognitive dissonance was tangible.

What perplexed the clearheaded was that they saw him for what he was: A bumbling fool. A weak leader leader completely unprepared and totally incapable fulfilling the righteous duties of his office. How could this be? How?

But what they failed to see was that Trump was driven by shadowy figures. Trump’s successes were not earned, but given. They were gifts for obedience. He was their puppet. He was their whore. And an inexpensive whore at that.


Verb (Transitive)

  1. To nurse to life or activity; to cherish and promote by excitements; to encourage; to abet; to instigate; — used often in a bad sense; as, to foment ill humors.
  2. Archaic: To apply a warm lotion to; to bathe with a cloth or sponge wet with warm water or medicated liquid.
  3. Obsolete: To cherish with heat; to foster.

Synonyms

brew, ferment, incite, instigate, provoke, stir up, whip up


Pronunciations

  • /foʊˈmɛnt/
  • /fəˈmɛnt/
  • /fəʊˈmɛnt/

Origin

From Middle English fomenten, a borrowing from Old French fomenter, from Late Latin fomentare, from Latin fōmentum (“lotion”), from fovere (“heat, cherish”).


Cite this Entry

Modern Language Association (MLA Style)

“Foment.” The Effin’ Word, The Effin’ Word, https://effinwords.com/dictionary/foment. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

The Effin’ Word, s.v. “foment”, accessed December 9, 2024, https://effinwords.com/dictionary/foment.

The Effin’ Word. (n.d.). Foment. In The Effin’ Word. Retrieved December 9, 2024, from https://effinwords.com/dictionary/foment


Like how we used foment in a sentence?