Lewis & Short

2. ac-cendo, ndi, nsum, 3, v. a. [cf. candeo], prop. to kindle any thing above, so that it may burn downwards (on the contr., succendere, to kindle underneath, so that it may burn upwards; and incendere, to set fire to on every side) (class., esp. in the trop. signif., very freq.).

  1. I. Lit., to set on fire, to kindle, light: ut Pergama accensa est, Liv. Andr. ap. Non. 512, 31 (Rib. Trag. Rel. p. 1): faces accensae, Cic. Pis. 5: lumen de suo lumine, to kindle, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 16, 51 (Trag. v. 388 ed. Vahl.); cf.: ita res accendent lumina rebus, Lucr. 1 fin.; and: Deus solem quasi lumen accendit, Cic. Univ. 9, 28; so, ignem, Verg. A. 5, 4 al.
    1. B. Meton., to light up, to illuminate: luna radiis solis accensa, Cic. Rep. 6, 17 (cf. id. N. D. 1, 31, 87); so of the lustre of gold: et gemmis galeam clypeumque accenderat auro, Sil. 15, 681 (but in Cic. Arch. 6, 14, the correct read. is accederet, v. Halm a. h. l.).
  2. II. Fig., to inflame a person or thing (by any thing), to set on fire, to kindle, to incite, rouse up; aliquem or aliquid aliqua re: placare hostem ferocem inimiciterque accensum, Att. ap. Non. 514, 22: quos meritā accendit Mezentius irā, Verg. A. 8, 50: nunc prece nunc dictis virtutem accendit amaris, id. ib. 10, 368 (7, 482, bello animos accendit, is more properly dat.). That to which one is excited is denoted by ad: ad dominationem accensi sunt, Sall. Jug. 31, 16; the person against whom one is excited, by in or contra: in maritum accendebat, Tac. A. 1, 53: quae res Marium contra Metellum vehementer accenderat, Sall. J. 64, 4; with quare c. subj.: accendis quare cupiam magis illi proximus esse, Hor. S. 1, 9, 53. The historians use this word very often, esp. with abstract substt.: certamen, Liv. 35, 10: discordiam, id. 2, 29: spem, Tac. Ann. 12, 34 (cf. Verg. A. 5, 183): dolorem, id. ib. 15, 1 al. In Cic. de Or. 1, 25, 114, praeclare enim se res habeat, si haec accendi aut commoveri arte possint, accendi is obviously the first enkindling, rousing, of talent (syn. with commoveri); cf. id. de Or. 2, 47; id. Phil. 3, 7. And so perhaps Sen. Ben. 7, 9: crystallina … quorum accendit fragilitas pretium, signifies vessels of crystal, whose fragility gives them value (in the eyes of luxurious men).