fervent
UK /ˈfɜːv(ə)nt/ · US /ˈfɜɹvənt/ adjective
- adjective Very hot; burning, scorching; also, glowing with heat.
- adjective Of cold: intense, severe.
- adjective (pharmacy, historical) Of a drug: having an abundance of heat as one of the four qualities believed to be characteristic of all things; hot rather than cold, dry, or moist.
- adjective Of a person, or their actions, interests, or nature: exhibiting persistent belief or conviction, and enthusiasm or zeal; ardent, earnest, passionate.
- adjective (archaic) Of a thing such as a battle, unrest, etc.: intense, severe; also, of a wild animal: fierce.
Synonyms
fervid animated ardent avid big [⇒ thesaurus] [on] bubbly eager earnest ebullient energetic enthusiastic excited exhilarated fanatic fanatical feverish gassed geeked gung ho hearty fiery impassioned perfervid torrid
Antonyms
adiaphroistic apathetic apathistical blasé blithe deaf cool shiftless dispassionate dull enervated gallionic
Etymology
From Middle English fervent, from Old French fervent (modern French fervent), from Latin ferventem, the accusative masculine or feminine singular form of fervēns (“burning, fiery; hot; zealous; etc.”), the present active participle of ferveō (“to burn; to be hot; (figurative) to be agitated, fired up, or inflamed; etc.”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to boil; to brew”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Hot; glowing; boiling; burning; as, a fervent summer.
- adjective Warm in feeling; ardent in temperament; earnest; full of fervor; zealous; glowing.
Etymology [F. fervent, L. fervens, -entis. p.pr. of fervere o the boiling hot, to boil, glow.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “fervent”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details