fervid

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The Word of the Day for October 16 is: 

fervid   \FER-vid\   adjective
          1 : very hot : burning
    *2 : marked by often extreme intensity of feeling

Example sentence:
          Jennie was such a fervid supporter of the proposed law that she drove 
all the way to Washington to demonstrate in favor of its passage.

Did you know?
          The Latin verb “fervere” can mean “to boil” or “to glow,” as well as, 
by extension, “to seethe” or “to be roused.” In English, this root gives us 
three words that can mean “impassioned” by varying degrees: “fervid,” 
“fervent,” and “perfervid.” “Fervid” and “fervent” are practically synonymous, 
but while “fervid” usually suggests warm emotion that is expressed in a 
spontaneous or feverish manner (as in “fervid basketball fans”), “fervent” is 
reserved for a kind of emotional warmth that is steady and sincere (as in “a 
fervent belief in human kindness”). “Perfervid” combines “fervid” with the 
Latin prefix “per-” (“thoroughly”) to create a word meaning “marked by 
overwrought or exaggerated emotion,” as in “a perfervid display of patriotism.”





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