accendo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [akˈkɛn.doː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [atˈt͡ʃɛn.do]^[1]

Forms

accendō (present infinitive accendere, perfect active accendī, supine accēnsum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from ad- (“to, on”) and a verb *cand-, as in candeō “to glow” and incendō.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Livius Andronicus, of kindling.^[2] Köbler dates Livius Andronicus 280/260–before 200 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to set on fire, kindle, light a lamp or torch, as Cicero's torches, with lūmina accēnsa “lamp-lighting, dusk”, as in Ennius, and to make bright.^[2][3] It meant to heat, of pungent things to burn, and to raise prices, as in Pliny the Elder.^[2] Figuratively it meant to stir up feelings or strife, as in Lucretius and Sallust, to aggravate, and to rouse a person, incite.^[2] Lewis and Short explain it as kindling from above, as opposed to succendō from below, and Döderlein says it sets fire from outside at one point, as a torch.^[5][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to inflame, kindle, set fire to.^[7] It survives in Italian accendere and Spanish acender.^[1]

Timeline

• 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it of kindling.^[2][4]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of lighting lamps.^[2][4]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of rousing feelings.^[2][4]
• 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of stirring up strife.^[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To set on fire, kindle; to light (a lamp).^[2]
2. To make bright.^[2]
3. To heat; to raise (prices).^[2]
4. To stir up, arouse; to aggravate.^[2]
5. To rouse, inflame (a person).^[2]

Word family

• accendium
• accēnsibilis
• accēnsus
• inaccensus
• reaccendo

Related words

• candeō
• incendō
• succendō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson