Nearby Words
adjective
1.
having, expressive of, or characterized by intense feeling; passionate; fervent: an ardent vow; ardent love.
2.
intensely devoted, eager, or enthusiastic; zealous: an ardent theatergoer. an ardent student of French history.
3.
vehement; fierce: They were frightened by his ardent, burning eyes.
4.
burning, fiery, or hot: the ardent core of a star.
Origin:
1325–75; < Latin ārdent- (stem of ārdēns, present participle of ārdēre to burn), equivalent to ārd- burn + -ent- -ent; replacing Middle English ardant < Middle French
1325–75; < Latin ārdent- (stem of ārdēns, present participle of ārdēre to burn), equivalent to ārd- burn + -ent- -ent; replacing Middle English ardant < Middle French
Related forms
ar·dent·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. fervid, eager, impassioned. 2. avid.
1. fervid, eager, impassioned. 2. avid.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Ardency
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ardent
late 14c. (ardently is attested from mid-14c.), from O.Fr. ardant (13c.), from L. ardentem (nom. ardens), prp. of ardere "to burn," from PIE base *as- "to burn, glow" (cf. Skt. asah "ashes, dust;" Armenian azazem "I dry up;" Gk. azein "to dry up, parch;" Goth. azgo, O.E. æsce "ashes;" L. ardus
EXPAND "parched, dry"). The fig. sense (of passions, desire, etc.) was earliest in Eng.; literal sense of "burning, parching" (mid-15c.) remains rare. Ardent spirits (1471) "strong alcoholic liquor" so called because they are inflammable, but the term now, if used at all, probably is felt in the figurative sense.
ardency
1540s, "warmth of feeling, desire," from ardent. A figurative sense, the literal meaning "intensity of heat" wasn't attested until 1630s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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