#514 foment

foment- to encourage or instigate; stir up

C15 from Latin fomentare, fomentum a poultice, ultimately from fovere to foster

Countries that fear modernity, that cling to dogma, that exclude women, that foment ethnic divisions—they cannot seem to make progress and join the modern world.

Companion site: quoteflections- a regular, eclectic mind fix

Tags: word of the day, best words, etymology, spelling, vital, useful, expressive, emotional, strategic, onomatopoeic, connotation, how to, English usage, language, learning, mnemonic devices, vocabulary, quoteflections, quotation, quotes