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ardent

 - 3 dictionary results

ar⋅dent

  [ahr-dnt]
Use ardent in a Sentence
–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; < L ārdent- (s. of ārdēns, prp. of ārdēre to burn), equiv. to ārd- burn + -ent- -ent; r. ME ardant < MF

Related forms:
ar⋅dent⋅ly, adverb
ar⋅den⋅cy  [ahr-dn-see] , ar⋅dent⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. fervid, eager, impassioned. 2. avid.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ar·dent   (är'dnt)   
adj.  

  1. Expressing or characterized by warmth of feeling; passionate: an ardent lover.

  2. Displaying or characterized by strong enthusiasm or devotion; fervent: "an impassioned age, so ardent and serious in its pursuit of art" (Walter Pater).

    1. Burning; fiery.

    2. Glowing; shining: ardent eyes.


[Middle English ardaunt, from Old French ardant, from Latin ārdēns, ārdent-, present participle of ārdēre, to burn; see as- in Indo-European roots.]
ar'den·cy (-dn-sē) n., ar'dent·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

ardent 
c.1374, from O.Fr. ardant, from L. ardentem (nom. ardens), prp. of ardere "to burn," from PIE base *as- "to burn, glow" (cf. Skt. asah "ashes, dust," Arm. azazem "I dry up," Gk. azein "to dry up, parch," Goth. azgo, O.E. æsce "ashes," L. ardus "parched, dry"). The fig. sense (of passions, desire, etc.) was earliest in Eng.; literal sense of "burning, parching" (c.1440) 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 fig. sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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