incendo

Latin

Etymology

From in- (“in”) +‎ *cendō < candeō.^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /inˈken.doː/, [ɪŋˈkɛn̪d̪oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /inˈt͡ʃen.do/, [in̠ʲˈt͡ʃɛn̪d̪o]

Verb

incendō (present infinitive incendere, perfect active incendī, supine incēnsum); third conjugation

1. (transitive) to set on fire, burn, kindle

   Synonyms: ūrō, īnflammō, flammō, cōnflagrō, flagrō, accendō, ārdeō, cremō, adoleō

   • c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Virgil, Georgics 4.264:

     hic iam galbaneos suadebo incendere odores

     Then I would urge you to burn fragrant resin of galbanum

2. (transitive) to heat, make hot, scorch
3. (transitive) to light up with fire, make a fire upon
4. (transitive) to make bright or shining, light up, brighten; adorn

   Synonyms: lūstrō, clārō

5. (transitive, figuratively) to set on fire, inflame, excite, rouse, incite; incense, irritate

   Synonyms: excitō, īnstīgō, īnstinguō, exciō, irrītō, stimulō, percieō, concieō, cieō, concitō, urgeō, impellō, īnflammō, moveō, mōlior, adhortor, sollicitō, ērigō

   Antonyms: domō, lēniō, sōpiō, sēdō, dēlēniō, plācō, restinguō, coerceō, mītigō, commītigō, ēlevō, levō, allevō, alleviō

   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.196–197:

     Prōtinus ad rēgem cursus dētorquet Iarbān,
     incenditque animum dictīs atque aggerat īrās.

     At once [Rumor] turns her course to King Iarbas, and she inflames his passion with her tales and swells his wrath.

6. (transitive, figuratively) to enhance, raise, intensify

   Synonyms: ērigō, augeō

7. (transitive, figuratively) to ruin, destroy, lay waste

   Synonyms: ruīnō, dēvāstō, ēvāstō, vāstō, aboleō, occīdō, prōflīgō, dēstruō, exscindō, impellō, accīdō, tollō, dīruō, sepeliō, populor, interimō, perimō, trucīdō

Conjugation

indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	incendō	incendis	incendit	incendimus	incenditis	incendunt
	imperfect	incendēbam	incendēbās	incendēbat	incendēbāmus	incendēbātis	incendēbant
	future	incendam	incendēs	incendet	incendēmus	incendētis	incendent
	perfect	incendī	incendistī	incendit	incendimus	incendistis	incendērunt, incendēre
	pluperfect	incenderam	incenderās	incenderat	incenderāmus	incenderātis	incenderant
	future perfect	incenderō	incenderis	incenderit	incenderimus	incenderitis	incenderint
	sigmatic future1	incēnsō	incēnsis	incēnsit	incēnsimus	incēnsitis	incēnsint
passive	present	incendor	incenderis, incendere	incenditur	incendimur	incendiminī	incenduntur
	imperfect	incendēbar	incendēbāris, incendēbāre	incendēbātur	incendēbāmur	incendēbāminī	incendēbantur
	future	incendar	incendēris, incendēre	incendētur	incendēmur	incendēminī	incendentur
	perfect	incēnsus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	incēnsus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	incēnsus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	incendam	incendās	incendat	incendāmus	incendātis	incendant
imperfect	incenderem	incenderēs	incenderet	incenderēmus	incenderētis	incenderent
perfect	incenderim	incenderīs	incenderit	incenderīmus	incenderītis	incenderint
pluperfect	incendissem	incendissēs	incendisset	incendissēmus	incendissētis	incendissent
sigmatic aorist1	incēnsim	incēnsīs	incēnsīt	incēnsīmus	incēnsītis	incēnsint
passive	present	incendar	incendāris, incendāre	incendātur	incendāmur	incendāminī	incendantur
imperfect	incenderer	incenderēris, incenderēre	incenderētur	incenderēmur	incenderēminī	incenderentur
perfect	incēnsus + present active subjunctive of sum
pluperfect	incēnsus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	incende	—	—	incendite	—
	future	—	incenditō	incenditō	—	incenditōte	incenduntō
passive	present	—	incendere	—	—	incendiminī	—
	future	—	incenditor	incenditor	—	—	incenduntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		incendere	incendisse	incēnsūrum esse	incendī	incēnsum esse	incēnsum īrī
participles		incendēns	—	incēnsūrus	—	incēnsus	incendendus, incendundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		incendendī	incendendō	incendendum	incendendō	incēnsum	incēnsū

   Conjugation of incendō (third conjugation)

¹At least one use of the archaic "sigmatic future" and "sigmatic aorist" tenses is attested, which are used by Old Latin writers; most notably Plautus and Terence. The sigmatic future is generally ascribed a future or future perfect meaning, while the sigmatic aorist expresses a possible desire ("might want to").

Derived terms

• incendefaciō
• incendium
• incēnsiō
• incēnsor
• incēnsum
• incēnsus
• superincendō

Related terms

• incendiālis
• incendiārius
• incendiōsus

Descendants

• Asturian: encender
• Catalan: encendre
• English: incense, incendiary
• Italian: incendere, incendiare
• Occitan: encénder, encendre
• Portuguese: encender, encandear, incendiar, incender
• Romanian: încinge, încinde
• Spanish: encender, incendiar.

References

1. De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “-cendō, -ere (> Derivatives > incendere)”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 106-7

Further reading

• “incendo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “incendo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• incendo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to set buildings on fire: accendere, incendere aedificia
    
  • to make some one enthusiastic for a thing: studio alicuius rei aliquem incendere
    
  • to become furious: furore inflammari, incendi
    
  • to fire a town: oppidum incendere