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excandesco

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word excandesco

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
234–149 BC, Cato
Ultimate origin
Latin (candeō)

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɛk.skanˈdeːs.koː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ek.skanˈdɛs.ko][1]

Forms

excandēscō (present infinitive excandēscere, perfect active excanduī); third conjugation, no passive, no supine stem[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ex- + candēscō (“to grow white or hot”), an inchoative of candeō (“to shine”).[2][1][3][4] De Vaan traces candeō to Proto-Italic *kand-ē- (“to shine”) and connects it with Proto-Indo-European *knd-ro- (“shining”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Cato.[5] Cato writes that olive lees catch fire when bitumen and sulphur are added.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is to catch fire or blaze, as Etna in the poem Aetna.[2] Usually it is to grow hot with anger, flare up: Caelius writes to Cicero that someone flared up and shouted that he was looking for a quarrel.[2] Cicero also uses it of courage that has no force unless it is kindled by anger.[4] Manuscripts sometimes have ⟨scand-⟩.[3] Church Latin glosses it to take fire, burn with anger.[7]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato of olive lees catching fire.[2][5][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of courage kindled by anger.[4][6]
  • 1st century AD – Columella uses it.[4][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To catch fire, kindle; to blaze.[2][4][1][7]
  2. To grow hot with anger, flare up, burst into a rage.[2][4][1][7]

Word family

  • excandēscentia

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Excandesco.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/excandesco. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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