Word Study
barm
CIDE DICTIONARY
barm, n. [OE. berme, AS. beorma; akin to Sw. bärma, G. bärme, and prob. L. fermentum. √93.].
Foam rising upon beer, or other malt liquors, when fermenting, and used as leaven in making bread and in brewing; yeast. Shak. [1913 Webster]
barm, n. [OE. bearm, berm, barm, AS. bearm; akin to E. bear to support.].
The lap or bosom. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
barm, n.
1 the froth on fermenting malt liquor.
2 archaic or dial. yeast or leaven.
1 the froth on fermenting malt liquor.
2 archaic or dial. yeast or leaven.
Etymology
OE beorma
ROGET THESAURUS
barm
Levity
N levity, lightness, imponderability, buoyancy, volatility, feather, dust, mote, down, thistle, down, flue, cobweb, gossamer, straw, cork, bubble, balloon, float, buoy, ether, air, leaven, ferment, barm, yeast, lighter-than-air balloon, helium balloon, hydrogen balloon, hot air balloon, convection, thermal draft, thermal, light, subtile, airy, imponderous, imponderable, astatic, weightless, ethereal, sublimated, gossamery, suberose, suberous, uncompressed, volatile, buoyant, floating, portable, light as a feather, light as a thistle, light as air, lighter than air, rise like a balloon, float like a balloon.Bubble
N bubble; cloud, bubble, foam, froth, head, spume, lather, suds, spray, surf, yeast, barm, spindrift, cloud, vapor, fog, mist, haze, steam, geyser, scud, messenger, rack, nimbus, cumulus, woolpack, cirrus, stratus, cirrostratus, cumulostratus, cirrocumulus, mackerel sky, mare's tale, dirty sky, curl cloud, frost smoke, thunderhead, nephelognosy, nephograph, nephology, effervescence, fermentation, bubbling, nebula, cloudliness, nebulosity, bubbling, frothy, nappy, effervescent, sparkling, mousseux, frothy, up, cloudy, thunderheaded, vaporous, nebulous, overcast, the lowring element scowls o'er the darkened lands.For further exploring for "barm" in Webster Dictionary Online