ferveo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈfɛr.we.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfɛr.ve.o]^[1]

Forms

ferveō (present infinitive fervēre, perfect active ferbuī or fervī, supine fervitum); second conjugation, impersonal in the passive^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ferwe/o-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeru-e/o- (“to be hot, boil”).^[2] Wiktionary gives the root as Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁-.^[1] Cognate with Old Irish berbaid (“boils”) and Welsh berwi (“to boil”).^[2][3] De Vaan argues that the third-conjugation fervere is the older verb, used mainly from Plautus to Virgil, and was replaced by the second-conjugation form, which spread from derivatives such as fervēscere and fervidus.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates fervēre from Varro and the older fervere from Naevius.^[2] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC and Varro 116–27 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to be intensely hot, to boil, and of the body to be warm with life, of things to reek with blood.^[3][5] Of seas and rivers it meant to seethe, of crowds and bees to swarm or be busy, and of people to be fired with passion or anger.^[3] Döderlein distinguishes fervidus, heat near boiling, from calidus, moderate warmth.^[6] Lucilius condemned the second-conjugation form and Quintilian the third.^[3]

It survives in Italian fervere, Spanish hervir and Romanian fierbe.^[1] Its participle gave English fervent in the mid-14th century.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses fervere.^[2][4]
• 234–149 BC – Cato has infervēre.^[2][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of seething seas.^[3][4]
• mid-14th century – English fervent is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be intensely hot, boil.^[3][5]
2. To be warm with life; to reek (with blood).^[3]
3. (of seas, rivers) To seethe, be turbulent.^[3]
4. To be busy, swarm.^[3]
5. To be fired with passion or excitement.^[3]

Word family

• cōnferveō
• dēferveō
• efferveō
• fermentum
• fervefaciō
• fervēns
• fervēscō
• fervidus
• fervō
• fervor
• īnferveō

Related words

• dēfrutum
• English fervent
• English ferment

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com