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Ben, hi, I have looked through the literary usage (19th century-early 20th century; I did not look at the US authors though - as I have been completely fascinated by the question) and the distinctions that you draw do not appear to be supported in the usage. The very modern online MW, citing current sources, draws a closer but still a different picture, and, besides, their examples are either few and/or newspaper based, and are not a comprehensive illustration.

Anya
– Anya

2020-09-21 21:32:38 +00:00
Commented Sep 21, 2020 at 21:32
Re. the distinction that you draw, more specifically - “Fervour on the other hand almost always relates to a political or religious conviction or a commitment to a community, state or people.”, “"Fervour" is an emotion resulting from a more intellectual conviction or a social pressure” - these are possible but fervour does not seem to be limited to these circumstances. You cite only few examples. Are you able to cite more sources/data?

Anya
– Anya

2020-09-21 21:34:44 +00:00
Commented Sep 21, 2020 at 21:34
If the distinction is observed only after the early 20th century, it is extremely interesting to see, as things don’t change as rapidly. (And the newspaper examples are, of course, biased.)

Anya
– Anya

2020-09-21 21:36:09 +00:00
Commented Sep 21, 2020 at 21:36

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