| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| ardor |
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| SYLLABICATION: | ar·dor |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  är d r |
| NOUN: | 1. Fiery intensity of feeling. See synonyms at passion. 2. Strong enthusiasm or devotion; zeal: “The dazzling conquest of Mexico gave a new impulse to the ardor of discovery” (William Hickling Prescott). 3. Intense heat or glow, as of fire. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English ardour, from Old French, from Latin  rdor, from rd re, to burn. See as- in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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