zymurgy
From The Oxford Companion to Beer
is the chemistry and science of fermentation by yeast. Coined in the mid-19th century, the word fuses the Greek “zymo” (leaven) with the suffix “urgy,” meaning “work.” The word, which is alternatively rendered as “zymology,” follows the pattern of the word “metallurgy.” It is the last word in many English language dictionaries and is used more often to describe brewing than to describe winemaking or distilling. In recent years the word has been popularized by Zymurgy, a magazine for amateur brewers first published by the American Homebrewers Association in 1978.
Bibliography
Amercian Homebrewers Association. Zymurgy. Journal of the American Homebrewers Association. http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/zymurgy (accessed February 16, 2011).
This definition is from The Oxford Companion to Beer, edited by Garrett Oliver. © Oxford University Press 2012.