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barm Meaning & Definition

/bɑːm/

What Does Barm Mean?

Barm is used as a noun meaning bosom. It is also used to mean lap. As a verb, it means To spurge; foam.

Word Facts for Barm

Part of speechnoun, verb
Pronunciation/bɑːm/
Synonymsyeast
Pluralbarms
Verb formsbarms, barming, barmed

Barm Definition (Noun)

  1. bosom
  2. lap

Noun

  1. Foam rising upon beer or other malt liquors when fermenting, used as leaven in brewing and making bread; yeast.
  2. A small, round, flat individual loaf or roll of bread.

Barm as a Verb

  1. To spurge; foam

Noun

  1. (obsolete outside dialectal) Bosom, lap.

Noun

  1. Foam rising upon beer, or other malt liquors, when fermenting, and used as leaven in making bread and in brewing; yeast.
  2. A small, flat, round individual loaf or roll of bread.

Synonyms of Barm

Barm synonyms and antonyms →

Word Forms & Grammar

barm (plural barms)

barm (countable and uncountable, plural barms)

barm (third-person singular simple present barms, present participle barming, simple past and past participle barmed)

Origin of Barm

Origin 1: From Middle English barm, barme, berm, bearm, from Old English bearm (“lap; bosom”), from Proto-West Germanic *barm, from Proto-Germanic *barmaz (“lap; bosom”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear”). Cognate with German Barm (“lap; bosom”).

Origin 2: From Middle English berme, berm, from Old English beorma, from Proto-West Germanic *bermō (“yeast; barm”); related to the dialectal Low German Bärm (“yeast”), from Middle Low German barm, berm. The cake sense is possibly a shortened form of barmcake, which would be made with yeast as described in that sense, or possibly it is from the Irish bairín breac, a type of bread.

Origin 3: From Middle English bermen, from the noun (see above).

Frequently Asked Questions About Barm

Is barm a noun or a verb?

Barm is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.

What is another word for barm?

Words with a similar meaning to barm include yeast. See the full list of barm synonyms and antonyms.

What is the plural of barm?

The plural of barm is barms.

What is the past tense of barm?

The past tense of barm is barmed. The present participle is barming.

More About Barm On Meaning Stash

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