any body which, being applied to another, produces fermentation.

Ferments are either matters already in the act of fermentation, or those which soon pass into this state. Of the first kind are the flowers of wine, yeast, fermenting beer, or fermenting wine, and of the second are the newly-expressed vegetable juices of summer fruit.

Amongst distillers - ferments are all those bodies which, when added to the liquor, only correct some fault in it, and, by removing some obstacle to fermentation, forward the process by secondary means; also such as, being added in time of fermentation, make the liquor yield a larger proportion of spirit, and give it a finer flavour.

FERMENTATION may be defined a sensible internal motion of the constituent particles of a fluid, mixed, or compound body; by the continuance of which motion these particles are gradually removed from their former situation or combination, and again, after some visible separation is made, combined together in a different order and arrangement, so that a new compound is formed, having qualities very sensibly differing from those of the original fluid. See Brewing and Chemistry.