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.
* 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.
* Trop., to gleam, glitter.
* Of rays of light: fulmineis ardescunt ignibus undae,Ov. M. 11, 523.
* Of the gleaming of a sword: pugionem in mucronem ardescere jussit,Tac. A. 15, 54.
* 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.

s. TLL