Fervent Fer"vent adjective [ French fervent , Latin fervens , -entis . present participle of fervere o the boiling hot, to boil, glow.] 1. Hot; glowing; boiling; burning; as, a fervent summer.

The elements shall melt with fervent heat.

2 Pet. iii. 10.

2. Warm in feeling; ardent in temperament; earnest; full of fervor; zealous; glowing.

Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit.

Rom. iii. 11.

So spake the fervent angel.

Milton.

A fervent desire to promote the happiness of mankind.

Macaulay.

-- Fer"vent*ly , adverb -- Fer"vent*ness , noun

Laboring fervently for you in prayers.

Col. iv. 12.

Fervescent Fer·ves"cent adjective [ Latin fervescens , present participle of fervescere to become boiling hot, incho., from fervere . See Fervent .] Growing hot.

Fervid Fer"vid adjective [ Latin fervidus , from fervere . See Fervent .] 1. Very hot; burning; boiling.

The mounted sun
Shot down direct his fervid rays.

Milton.

2. Ardent; vehement; zealous.

The fervid wishes, holy fires.

Parnell.

-- Fer"vid*ly , adverb -- Fer"vid*ness , noun

Fervor Fer"vor noun [ Written also fervour .] [ Old French fervor , fervour , French ferveur , Latin fervor , from fervere . See Fervent .] 1. Heat; excessive warmth.

The fevor of ensuing day.

Waller.

2. Intensity of feeling or expression; glowing ardor; passion; holy zeal; earnestness. Hooker.

Winged with fervor of her love.

Shak.

Syn. -- Fervor , Ardor . Fervor is a boiling heat, and ardor is a burning heat. Hence, in metaphor, we commonly use fervor and its derivatives when we conceive of thoughts or emotions under the image of ebullition, or as pouring themselves forth. Thus we speak of the fervor of passion, fervid declamation, fervid importunity, fervent supplication, fervent desires, etc. Ardent is used when we think of anything as springing from a deepseated glow of soul; as, ardent friendship, ardent zeal, ardent devotedness; burning with ardor for the fight.

Feræ Fe"ræ noun plural [ Latin , wild animals, fem. plural of ferus wild.] (Zoology) A group of mammals which formerly included the Carnivora, Insectivora, Marsupialia, and lemurs, but is now often restricted to the Carnivora.

Fe"ræ na*tu"ræ [ Latin ] Of a wild nature; -- applied to animals, as foxes, wild ducks, etc., in which no one can claim property.

Fescennine Fes"cen·nine adjective [ Latin Fescenninus , from Fescennia , a city of Etruria.] Pertaining to, or resembling, the Fescennines. -- noun A style of low, scurrilous, obscene poetry originating in fescennia.

Fescue Fes"cue (fĕs"ku) noun [ Middle English festu , Old French festu , French fétu , from Latin festuca stalk, straw.] 1. A straw, wire, stick, etc., used chiefly to point out letters to children when learning to read. "Pedantic fescue ." Sterne.

To come under the fescue of an imprimatur.

Milton.

2. An instrument for playing on the harp; a plectrum. [ Obsolete] Chapman.

3. The style of a dial. [ Obsolete]

4. (Botany) A grass of the genus Festuca .

Fescue grass (Botany) , a genus of grasses ( Festuca ) containing several species of importance in agriculture. Festuca ovina is sheep's fescue ; F. elatior is meadow fescue .

Fescue Fes"cue (fĕs"ku) intransitive verb & t. [ imperfect & past participle Fescued ; present participle & verbal noun Fescuing .] To use a fescue, or teach with a fescue. Milton.

Fesels Fes"els noun plural [ Written also fasels .] See Phasel . [ Obsolete] May (Georgics).

Fess, Fesse Fess, Fesse noun [ Old French fesse , faisse , French fasce , from Latin fascia band. See Fascia .] (Her.) A band drawn horizontally across the center of an escutcheon, and containing in breadth the third part of it; one of the nine honorable ordinaries.

Fess point (Her.) , the exact center of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon .

Fessitude Fes"si·tude noun [ Latin fessus wearied, fatigued.] Weariness. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Fesswise Fess"wise adverb In the manner of fess.

Fest Fest noun [ See Fist .] The fist. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Fest, Feste Fest, Fes"te noun A feast. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Festal Fes"tal adjective [ Latin festum holiday, feast. See feast .] Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive.

You bless with choicer wine the festal day.

Francis.

Festally Fes"tal·ly adverb Joyously; festively; mirthfully.

Festennine Fes"ten·nine noun A fescennine.

Fester Fes"ter intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Festered ; present participle & verbal noun Festering .] [ Middle English festern , from fester , noun ; or fr . OF . festrir , from festre , noun See Fester , noun ] 1. To generate pus; to become imflamed and suppurate; as, a sore or a wound festers .

Wounds immedicable
Rankle, and fester , and gangrene.

Milton.

Unkindness may give a wound that shall bleed and smart, but it is treachery that makes it fester .

South.

Hatred . . . festered in the hearts of the children of the soil.

Macaulay.

2. To be inflamed; to grow virulent, or malignant; to grow in intensity; to rankle.

Fester Fes`ter transitive verb To cause to fester or rankle.

For which I burnt in inward, swelt'ring hate,
And festered ranking malice in my breast.

Marston.

Fester Fes"ter noun [ Old French festre , Latin fistula a sort of ulcer. Confer Fistula .] 1. A small sore which becomes inflamed and discharges corrupt matter; a pustule.

2. A festering or rankling.

The fester of the chain their necks.

I. Taylor.

Festerment Fes"ter·ment noun A festering. [ R.] Chalmers.

Festeye Fest"eye transitive verb [ Old French festier , festeer , French festoyer .] To feast; to entertain. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Festi-val Fes"ti-val noun A time of feasting or celebration; an anniversary day of joy, civil or religious.

The morning trumpets festival proclaimed.

Milton.

Syn. -- Feast; banquet; carousal. See Feast .

Festinate Fes"ti·nate adjective [ Latin festinatus , past participle of festinare to hasten.] Hasty; hurried. [ Obsolete] -- Fes"ti*nate*ly , adverb [ Obsolete] Shak.

Festination Fes`ti·na"tion noun [ Latin festinatio .] Haste; hurry. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Festival Fes"ti·val adjective [ Old French festival , from Latin festivum festive jollity, from festivus festive, gay. See Festive .] Pertaining to a fest; festive; festal; appropriate to a festival; joyous; mirthful.

I cannot woo in festival terms.

Shak.

Festive Fes"tive adjective [ Latin festivus , from festum holiday, feast. See feast , and confer Festivous .] Pertaining to, or becoming, a feast; festal; joyous; gay; mirthful; sportive. -- Fes"tive*ly , adverb

The glad circle round them yield their souls
To festive mirth and wit that knows no gall.

Thomson.

Festivity Fes·tiv"i·ty noun ; plural Festivities . [ Latin festivitas : confer French festivité .] 1. The condition of being festive; social joy or exhilaration of spirits at an entertaintment; joyfulness; gayety.

The unrestrained festivity of the rustic youth.

Bp. Hurd.

2. A festival; a festive celebration. Sir T. Browne.

Festivous Fes"ti·vous adjective [ See Festive .] Pertaining to a feast; festive. [ R.] Sir W. Scott.

Festlich Fest"lich adjective [ See Feast , noun ] Festive; fond of festive occasions. [ Obsolete] "A festlich man." Chaucer.

Festoon Fes·toon" noun [ French feston (cf. Spanish feston , Italian festone ), probably from Latin festum festival. See Feast .] 1. A garland or wreath hanging in a depending curve, used in decoration for festivals, etc.; anything arranged in this way.

2. (Arch. & Sculp.) A carved ornament consisting of flowers, and leaves, intermixed or twisted together, wound with a ribbon, and hanging or depending in a natural curve. See Illust. of Bucranium .

Festoon Fes·toon" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Festooned ; present participle & verbal noun Festooning .] To form in festoons, or to adorn with festoons.

Festoony Fes·toon"y adjective Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling, festoons. Sir J. Herschel.

Festucine Fes·tu·cine adjective [ Latin festula stalk, straw. Confer Fescue .] Of a straw color; greenish yellow. [ Obsolete]

A little insect of a festucine or pale green.

Sir T. Browne.

Festucous Fes"tu·cous adjective Formed or consisting of straw. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Festue Fes"tue noun [ See Fescue .] A straw; a fescue. [ Obsolete] Holland.

Fet Fet noun [ Confer feat , French fait , and Italian fett... slice, German fetzen rag, Icelandic fat garment.] A piece. [ Obsolete] Dryton.

Fet Fet transitive verb [ Middle English fetten , feten , Anglo-Saxon fetian ; akin to Anglo-Saxon fæt a journey, and to English foot ; confer German fassen to seize. √ 77. See Foot , and confer Fetch .] To fetch. [ Obsolete]

And from the other fifty soon the prisoner fet .

Spenser.

Fet Fet past participle of Fette . Fetched. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Fetal Fe"tal adjective [ From Fetus .] Pertaining to, or connected with, a fetus; as, fetal circulation ; fetal membranes.

Fetation Fe·ta"tion noun The formation of a fetus in the womb; pregnancy.

Fetch Fetch (fĕch; 224) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Fetched 2; present participle & verbal noun . Fetching .] [ Middle English fecchen , Anglo-Saxon feccan , perhaps the same word as fetian ; or confer facian to wish to get, OFries. faka to prepare. √ 77. Confer Fet , transitive verb ] 1. To bear toward the person speaking, or the person or thing from whose point of view the action is contemplated; to go and bring; to get.

Time will run back and fetch the age of gold.

Milton.

He called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bred in thine hand.

1 Kings xvii. 11, 12.

2. To obtain as price or equivalent; to sell for.

Our native horses were held in small esteem, and fetched low prices.

Macaulay.

3. To recall from a swoon; to revive; -- sometimes with to ; as, to fetch a man to.

Fetching men again when they swoon.

Bacon.

4. To reduce; to throw.

The sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground.

South.

5. To bring to accomplishment; to achieve; to make; to perform, with certain objects; as, to fetch a compass; to fetch a leap; to fetch a sigh.

I'll fetch a turn about the garden.

Shak.

He fetches his blow quick and sure.

South.

6. To bring or get within reach by going; to reach; to arrive at; to attain; to reach by sailing.

Meantine flew our ships, and straight we fetched
The siren's isle.

Chapman.

7. To cause to come; to bring to a particular state.

They could n't fetch the butter in the churn.

W. Barnes.

To fetch a compass (Nautical) , to make a sircuit; to take a circuitious route going to a place. -- To fetch a pump , to make it draw water by pouring water into the top and working the handle. -- To fetch headway or sternway (Nautical) , to move ahead or astern. -- To fetch out , to develop. "The skill of the polisher fetches out the colors [ of marble]" Addison. -- To fetch up . (a) To overtake. [ Obsolete] "Says [ the hare], I can fetch up the tortoise when I please." L'Estrange. (b) To stop suddenly.

fetch fetch intransitive verb To bring one's self; to make headway; to veer; as, to fetch about; to fetch to windward. Totten.

To fetch away (Nautical) , to break loose; to roll slide to leeward. -- To fetch and carry , to serve obsequiously, like a trained spaniel.

Fetch Fetch noun 1. A stratagem by which a thing is indirectly brought to pass, or by which one thing seems intended and another is done; a trick; an artifice.

Every little fetch of wit and criticism.

South.

2. The apparation of a living person; a wraith.

The very fetch and ghost of Mrs. Gamp.

Dickens.

Fetch candle , a light seen at night, superstitiously believed to portend a person's death.

Fetcher Fetch"er noun One who fetches or brings.

Fete Fete (fēt) noun [ See feat .] A feat. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Fete Fete noun plural [ See Foot .] Feet. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Fête Fête (fat) noun [ French See Feast .] A festival.

Fête champêtre [ French], a festival or entertainment in the open air; a rural festival.

Fête Fête transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Fêted ; present participle & verbal noun Fêting .] [ Confer French fêter .] To feast; to honor with a festival.

Fetich, Fetish Fe"tich, Fe"tish noun [ French fétiche , from Portuguese feitiço , adj., noun , sorcery, charm, from Latin facticius made by art, artifical, factitious. See Factitious .] 1. A material object supposed among certain African tribes to represent in such a way, or to be so connected with, a supernatural being, that the possession of it gives to the possessor power to control that being.

2. Any object to which one is excessively devoted.

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