THE FIRST WORD

zymurgy

PRONUNCIATION:

(ZY-muhr-jee) 

MEANING:

noun: The branch of chemistry dealing with fermentation, as brewing.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek zym- (ferment) + -urgy (work). Earliest documented use: 1868.

NOTES:

While zymurgy's day job is raising spirits, it also moonlights as the last word in a dictionary. Some dictionaries have employed other, more accomplished, words for the job. Aardvark serves on the opposite end.

USAGE:

"Zymurgy's reek was everywhere."
Ceylon L. Barclay; Red Rum Punch; Cross Cultural Publications; 1994.