The following passage is adapted from Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein. The narrator, Victor Frankenstein, reflects on the consequences of his scientific ambitions.
I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room.
As used in the passage, what does the word “ardour” most nearly mean?