or Accedones**, in Roman antiquity, a kind of gladiators, whose office was to excite and animate the combatants during the engagement.* See Gladiators.

The orthography of the word is contested: the first edition of Tertullian, by Rhenanus, has it *accendones*; an ancient manuscript, *accendones*. Aquinas adheres to the former, Pitteus to the latter. The origin of the word, supposing it *accendones*, is from *accendo*, I kindle; supposing it *accedones*, from *accedo*, I accede, I am added to. The former places their distinguishing character in enlivening the combat by their exhortations and suggestions; the latter supposes them to be much the same with what among us are called *seconds*, among the Italians *patroni*: excepting that these latter only stand by to see the laws of the sword duly observed, without intermeddling to give advice or instruction.