Fervent

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈfɝ.vənt/

Definitions

1. Characterized by intense emotion, passion, or enthusiasm in one's beliefs or feelings
2. Showing passionate intensity and earnest dedication in pursuit of beliefs or desires
3. Marked by deep emotional conviction and zealous commitment to one's cause or principles

Etymology: The English adjective "fervent" carries its heat literally in its Latin ancestor. Latin "ferveō" meant "to burn" or "to be hot," and its present participle, "fervēns," meant "burning, fiery, hot." Before it described a person's zeal, the word described a flame or a boiling liquid, and Latin writers used it for both physical heat and for agitation of the mind. The adjective came into English through Old French "fervent," which kept the same sense. Middle English speakers borrowed it with its fire still in it, so the figurative meaning of intense feeling grew out of a picture of something glowing or seething. That image explains why a fervent supporter seems to burn, rather than merely agree.

Synonyms: passionate, zealous, ardent, intense, enthusiastic

Antonyms: apathetic, indifferent, dispassionate, unemotional, cold