Meanings
barm1
barm2
plural barms
- countabledialectalobsoleteuncountableFoam rising upon beer or other malt liquors when fermenting, used as leaven in brewing and making bread; yeast.
[A]nd sometimes make the drink to bear no barm.
c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], line 252 more examples
In 1577 yeast, called barm, is bought at 9d. the pail.
1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 620And he chaffed the women as he served them their ha'porths of barm.
1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC - countabledialectalobsoleteuncountableA small, round, flat individual loaf or roll of bread.
barm3
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna commercial leavening agent containing yeast cells; used to raise the dough in making bread and for fermenting beer or whiskey
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
barm · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-“to bear”
- Proto-Germanic*barmaz“lap; bosom”
- Proto-West Germanic*barm
- Old Englishbearm“lap; bosom”
- Middle Englishbarm
- Englishbarm
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →barm · noun
- Irishbairín breac
- Proto-West Germanic*bermō“yeast; barm”
- Old Englishbeorma
- Middle Englishberme
- Englishbarm
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.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →barm · verb
- Middle Englishbermen
- Englishbarm
From Middle English bermen, from the noun (see above).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish vaahto
- vaahtofoam rising upon beer, etc., when fermenting
French mousse
- moussefoam rising upon beer, etc., when fermenting
Irish giosta
- giostafoam rising upon beer, etc., when fermenting
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with barm
Anagrams
Cite this entry
barm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barm
“barm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barm. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “barm,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barm.
Source: barm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.