overferment

English

Etymology

over- +‎ ferment

Verb

overferment (third-person singular simple present overferments, present participle overfermenting, simple past and past participle overfermented)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To ferment for too long; allow or exhibit too much fermentation.
   • 1939, Manila (Philippines). University of the Philippines. College of agriculture, A Handbook of Philippine Agriculture, page 101:

     Care must be taken not to overferment the berries, as this will spoil the quality of the coffee.

   • 1987, Frances Sheridan Goulart, Staying Young: How to Look Good, Feel Better, and Live Longer, →ISBN:

     Pour into a scalded jar, cover and let stand at room temperature until thick throughout on the bottom when you test with a chopstick or knife blade. (Don't overferment.)

   • 1998, Christopher Ondaatje, Journey to the source of the Nile, →ISBN, page 169:

     The local brews seemed to overferment and not last long.

Antonyms

• underferment