Yeastless

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A situation in which fermentation agents commonly found in dough or beverages are absent
2. Pertaining to a recipe or food that omits the yeast necessary for rising or fermentation
3. A state in which the microbial agents typically required for fermentation in baked goods or beverages are not present

Etymology: "Yeastless" is a plain compound: "yeast" with the suffix "-less," meaning "without." The suffix comes from Old English "-lēas," which meant "free from" or "lacking," and it has been attached to nouns for centuries to describe the absence of whatever the noun names, as in "careless" or "homeless." "Yeast" is the older and more interesting part. It descends from Old English "gist" and "gyst," and the word once carried the sense of foam or froth, because the bubbling of fermenting liquids looked like that. Brewers and bakers knew the frothing agent well long before anyone understood what it was made of, so the word named the visible effect rather than the living organism. Adding "-less" to "yeast" therefore describes bread or other food that has been made without this rising agent, and the result is a flat, dense loaf rather than an airy one.

Synonyms: flat, unleavened

Antonyms: yeasted, leavened