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If you’ve ever felt as if your emotions were going to boil over, whether you were overly bubbly or, less happily, you needed to simmer down over something, you should have no trouble understanding the roots of fervid. Fervid comes from the Latin verb fervēre, meaning “to boil” or “to glow,” as well as, by extension, “to seethe” or “to be roused.” In English, this root gave us not only fervid but the similar-sounding and practically synonymous word fervent. 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”). Fervid fans of kimchi or sauerkraut (or fervent followers of anything fermented), may appreciate that fervēre is also the root of ferment.
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Examples of fervid in a Sentence
Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
That friend, who lives in a blue house down the street, is now a fervid supporter of former President Donald Trump.
—Nico Lang, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2024
Known for his fervid support of the arts, Frederick built a landmark cathedral, Santa Maria Assunta, and encouraged settlers to move to the city, promising religious tolerance and to sweeten the deal, tax breaks.
—Catherine Sabino, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
In this time of fervid preoccupation with Russia, that is not a narrative in search of an audience.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2020
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Cite this Entry
“Fervid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fervid. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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fervid
adjective
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