vehemence

vehemence

See also: véhémence

English

WOTD – 16 August 2007

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin vehementia (“eagerness, strength”), from vehemens (“eager”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈviːəmən(t)s/, /ˈviːhəmən(t)s/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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Noun

vehemence (usually uncountable, plural vehemences)

1. An intense concentration, force or power.

   The bear attacked with vengeance and vehemence.

2. A wild or turbulent ferocity or fury.

   His response was bursting with hatred and vehemence.

   • 2016 February 6, "Israel’s prickliness blocks the long quest for peace," The National (retrieved 8 February 2016):

     This worrisome tendency was on display in recent weeks as Israelis reacted with striking vehemence to remarks by UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and US ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro.

3. Eagerness, fervor, excessive strong feeling.
   • 1826, Mary Shelley, The Last Man, volume 3, chapter 1:

     I could not wonder at the vehemence of her care, her very soul was tenderness […]

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:obstinacy

Related terms

• vehemency
• vehement

Translations

An intense concentration, force or power

Finnish: rajuus (fi), kiihkeys (fi) German: Heftigkeit (de) f, Vehemenz (de) f Italian: veemenza (it) f Portuguese: veemência (pt) f Romanian: vehemență (ro) f

Russian: неи́стовство (ru) n (neístovstvo) Serbo-Croatian: Roman: žestina (sh) f, vehementnost (sh) f, vehemencija (sh) f Spanish: vehemencia (es) f, hervor m

A wild or turbulent ferocity or fury

Georgian: მძვინვარება (mʒvinvareba) German: Heftigkeit (de) f, Vehemenz (de) f Italian: veemenza (it) f Romanian: vehemență (ro) f

Russian: я́рость (ru) f (járostʹ) Serbo-Croatian: Roman: žestina (sh) f, bijes (sh) m, vehementnost (sh) f,

Eagerness, fervor, excessive strong feeling

Georgian: მგზნებარება (mgznebareba), აღტაცება (aɣṭaceba) German: Heftigkeit (de) f, Vehemenz (de) f Italian: veemenza (it) f

Serbo-Croatian: Roman: žar (sh) m, strast (sh) f, vehementnost (sh) f

Further reading

• vehemence in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• vehemence in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• vehemence at OneLook Dictionary Search