Strong and passionate feeling or intense enthusiasm and dedication to something.
From Old French 'ardour,' derived from Latin 'ardor' meaning 'burning' or 'flame,' from 'ardere' (to burn). This British English spelling has been used since the Middle Ages to describe any consuming emotional intensity.
Poets and romantics loved this word because it literally connects emotional passion to the metaphor of fire burning inside you—it's why we still say people have 'burning passion' today.
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