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A.Word.A.Day--candent candent (KAN-duhnt) adjective 1. Glowing. 2. Impassioned. [From Latin candent-, stemp of candens, present participle of candere (to shine or glow). Ultimately from Indo-European root kand- (to shine). Other words from the same root are candle, incandescent, incense, candid, candida, and candidate (in reference to white togas worn by Romans seeking office).] Today's word in Visual Thesaurus. "It benefited from a certain fire in much of the singing and Emerson Buckley's conducting, but when the production reached Fort Lauderdale's constrictive War Memorial Auditorium Tuesday evening, it was reduced for the most part to occasionally candent embers." Tim Smith; Ernani Loses Its Spark; Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida); Apr 25, 1985. "The whole place, the window and the room, lit up in a candent flash." Ben Okri; The Famished Road; Anchor Books; Jun 1, 1993. This week's theme: unusual words. X-Bonus I am about to - or I am going to - die; either expression is used. -Dominique Bouhours, grammarian (1632-1702)

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