ardesco

ardesco, arsi, 3, v. inch. [ardeo], to take fire, to kindle, to be inflamed (mostly poet. or in post-Aug. prose; not in Cic.; while exardesco is very freq.), lit. and trop.

I.

Lit.:

ut omnia motu Percalefacta vides ardescere,

Lucr. 6, 178:

ardescunt caelestia templa,

id. 6, 670:

ne longus ardesceret axis,

Ov. M. 1, 255; Plin. 37, 3, 12, § 51.—

II.

Trop., to gleam, glitter.

A.

Of rays of light:

fulmineis ardescunt ignibus undae,

Ov. M. 11, 523.—

B.

Of the gleaming of a sword:

pugionem in mucronem ardescere jussit,

Tac. A. 15, 54.—

C.

Most freq. of the passions, to be inflamed, become more intense, increase in violence:

ardescere dirā cuppedine,

Lucr. 4, 1090; so id. 5, 897:

in iras,

Ov. M. 5, 41 (cf. Verg. A. 7, 445: exarsit in iras, and Luc. 3, 134:

accensus in iram): in nuptias incestas,

Tac. A. 11, 25:

ardescit tuendo,

Verg. A. 1, 713:

stimulo ardescit,

Plin. 8, 45, 70, § 181:

quibus haec rabies auctoribus arsit,

Luc. 5, 359.—So, absol.:

fremitus ardescit equorum,

Verg. A. 11, 607:

ardescente pugnā,

Tac. H. 5, 18: in labiis ejus ignis ardescit, * Vulg. Prov. 16, 27.