Enfevering

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause a state of excitement or agitation that feels akin to fever; to inspire intense passion or enthusiasm in someone or something; to create an overwhelming sense of urgency or emotion that can be likened to a feverish state
2. To provoke a heightened emotional response that resembles the effects of fever; to incite fervent enthusiasm in a person; to instill a sense of compelling urgency or passion akin to the bodily symptoms of fever
3. To ignite an excessive emotional fervor that is reminiscent of fever symptoms; to stimulate profound enthusiasm or zeal in individuals; to evoke a strong sense of urgency or emotional intensity similar to that of having a fever

Etymology: "Enfevering" is the present participle of "enfever," a verb built from the prefix "en-" and the noun "fever." The prefix means "to put into" or "to make," so the verb literally means to put someone into a fever. That physical sense is the starting point: the word first described bringing on an actual sickness before it grew into a figure of speech for emotional heat. The prefix has a long pedigree. It goes back through Latin "in-" to Old French "en-", which English borrowed in the same way it borrowed many other verbs of making, such as "enlarge" and "enrich." The "fever" half is older still, coming down from Latin "febris" through Old French and Middle English. Pairing the two gave English a verb that could describe a mind or crowd being set alight rather than a body being warmed.

Synonyms: exciting, stimulating, invigorating

Antonyms: calming, soothing