fervid
/ˈfɜːrvɪd/adjective
intensely enthusiastic or passionately emotional
From Latin ferv- (boil).
Lineage
LatinGermanicnot directly attestedSelect a stage for details, or drag it
The story
Picture a pot bubbling over a Roman cookfire: Latin fervere meant “to boil” or “glow,” and fervidus could describe heat you could feel on your face. English borrowed fervid in the 1590s for literal burning heat; by the 1650s, the heat had moved into the heart, describing intense passion. Its close cousin fervent followed a different route into English through Old French, but comes from the same Latin boiling point. Effervescent keeps the bubbling image too—think of a fizzy drink, not a smoldering speech. Call someone fervid and you’re saying their feelings are hot enough to boil.
Words from the same roots
ferv- · Latin, ‘boil, glow, burn’
Derivedfervent, fervor, effervescent