rovente

Italian

Etymology

From Latin rubentem, present active participle of rubeō (“to be red; to become red”). Doublet of rubente.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /roˈvɛn.te/
• Rhymes: -ɛnte
• Hyphenation: ro‧vèn‧te

Adjective

rovente (plural roventi)

1. red-hot

   Synonyms: arroventato, incandescente, infuocato, cocente, bollente, acceso

   • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto IX”, in Inferno [Hell]‎^[1], lines 34–40; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate]‎^[2], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     E altro disse, ma non l’ho a mente;
     però che l’occhio m’avea tutto tratto
     ver’ l’alta torre a la cima rovente

     And more he said, but not in mind I have it; because mine eye had altogether drawn me towards the high tower with the red-flaming summit

2. reddening, rubescent

   Synonyms: rosseggiante, (poetic) rubente, (literary) rubescente

3. burning

   Synonym: infuocato

   un dolore rovente ― a burning pain

4. (figurative, by extension) very hot; sweltering

   Synonym: torrido

   un'estate rovente ― a sweltering summer

5. fiery, barbed, pointed

   parole roventi ― fiery words

6. very tense or agitated

   un'atmosfera rovente ― an agitated atmosphere

Derived terms

• arroventare
• roventare
• roventino

Further reading

• rovente in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• vetrone