Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Cold
Cold
(kōld)
, Adj.
[
Com
par.
Colder
(-ẽr)
; sup
erl.
Coldest
.] 1.
Deprived of heat, or having a low temperature; not warm or hot; gelid; frigid.
“The snowy top of cold Olympis.” Milton.
2.
Lacking the sensation of warmth; suffering from the absence of heat; chilly; shivering;
as, to be
. cold
3.
Not pungent or acrid.
“Cold plants.” Bacon
4.
Wanting in ardor, intensity, warmth, zeal, or passion; spiritless; unconcerned; reserved.
A
cold
and unconcerned spectator. T. Burnet.
No
cold
relation is a zealous citizen. Burke.
5.
Unwelcome; disagreeable; unsatisfactory.
“Cold news for me.” “Cold comfort.” Shak.
6.
Wanting in power to excite; dull; uninteresting.
What a deal of
cold
business doth a man misspend the better part of life in! B. Jonson.
The jest grows
cold
. . . when in comes on in a second scene. Addison.
7.
Affecting the sense of smell (as of hunting dogs) but feebly; having lost its odor;
as, a
. cold
scent8.
Not sensitive; not acute.
Smell this business with a sense as
As is a dead man’s nose.
cold
As is a dead man’s nose.
Shakespeare
9.
Distant; – said, in the game of hunting for some object, of a seeker remote from the thing concealed.
10.
(Paint.)
Having a bluish effect. Cf.
Warm
, 8. Cold abscess
. See under
– Abscess
. Cold blast
See under , 2.
– Blast
, Noun.
Cold blood
. See under , 8.
– Blood
, Noun.
Cold chill
, an ague fit.
Wright.
– Cold chisel
, a chisel of peculiar strength and hardness, for cutting cold metal.
Weale.
– Cold cream
. See under
– Cream
. Cold slaw
. See
– Cole slaw
. In cold blood
, without excitement or passion; deliberately.
Syn. – Gelid; bleak; frigid; chill; indifferent; unconcerned; passionless; reserved; unfeeling; stoical.
Cold
,Noun.
1.
The relative absence of heat or warmth.
2.
The sensation produced by the escape of heat; chilliness or chillness.
When she saw her lord prepared to part,
A deadly
A deadly
cold
ran shivering to her heart. Dryden.
3.
(Med.)
A morbid state of the animal system produced by exposure to cold or dampness; a catarrh.
Cold sore
(Med.)
, a vesicular eruption appearing about the mouth as the result of a cold, or in the course of any disease attended with fever.
– To leave one out in the cold
, to overlook or neglect him.
[Colloq.]
Cold
,Verb.
I.
To become cold.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
Webster 1828 Edition
Cold
COLD
, a.1.
Not warm or hot; gelid, frigid; a relative term. A substance is cold to the touch, when it is less warm then the body, and when in contact, the heat of the body passes from the body to the substance; as cold air; a cold stone; cold water. It denotes a greater degree of the quality than cool.2.
Having the sensation of cold; chill; shivering, or inclined to shiver; as, I am cold.3.
Having cold qualities; as a cold plant.4.
Frigid; wanting passion, zeal ro ardor; indifferent; unconcerned; not animated, or easily excited into action; as a cold spectator; a cold Christian; a cold lover, or friend; a cold temper.Thou art neither cold nor hot. Rev. 3.
5.
Not moving; unaffecting; not animated; not able to excite feeling; spiritless; as a cold discourse; a cold jest.6.
Reserved; coy; not affectionate, cordial or friendly; indicating indifference; as a cold look; a cold return of civilities; a cold reception.7.
Not heated by sensual desire.8.
Not hasty; not violent.9.
Not affecting the scent strongly.10.
Not having the scent strongly affected.COLD
,Noun.
1.
The sensation produced in animal bodies by the escape of heat, and the consequent contraction of the fine vessels. Also, the cause of that sensation. Heat expands the vessels, and cold contracts them; and the transition from an expanded to a contracted state is accompanied with a sensation to which, as well as to the cause of it, we give the denomination of cold. Hence cold is a privation of heat, or the cause of it.2.
A shivering; the effect of the contraction of the fine vessels of the body; chilliness, or chillness.3.
A disease; indisposition occasioned by cold; catarrh.Definition 2024
cold
cold
English
Adjective
cold (comparative colder, superlative coldest)
- (of a thing) Having a low temperature.
- A cold wind whistled through the trees.
- 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “chapter V”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, OCLC 1227855:
- I had always supposed that playboys didn't give a hoot for anything except blondes and cold bottles.
- (of the weather) Causing the air to be cold.
- The forecast is that it will be very cold today.
- (of a person or animal) Feeling the sensation of coldness, especially to the point of discomfort.
- She was so cold she was shivering.
- Unfriendly, emotionally distant or unfeeling.
- She shot me a cold glance before turning her back.
- 2011 April 23, Doctor Who, series 6, episode 1, The Impossible Astronaut:
- RIVER SONG (upon seeing the still-living DOCTOR, moments after he made her and two other friends watch what they thought was his death): This is cold. Even by your standards, this is cold.
- 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “chapter VII”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, OCLC 1227855:
- “Suppose someone pops in?” “Don't be silly. Mrs Cream is working on her book. Phyllis is in her room, typing Upjohn's speech. Wilbert's gone for a walk. Upjohn isn't here. The only character who could pop in would be the Brinkley Court ghost. If it does, give it a cold look and walk through it. That'll teach it not to come butting in where it isn't wanted, ha ha.”
- Dispassionate, not prejudiced or partisan, impartial.
- Let's look at this tomorrow with a cold head.
- He's a nice guy, but the cold facts say we should fire him.
- The cold truth is that states rarely undertake military action unless their national interests are at stake.
- Completely unprepared; without introduction.
- He was assigned cold calls for the first three months.
- Unconscious or deeply asleep; deprived of the metaphorical heat associated with life or consciousness.
- I knocked him out cold.
- After one more beer he passed out cold.
- (usually with "have" or "know" transitively) Perfectly, exactly, completely; by heart.
- Practice your music scales until you know them cold.
- Try both these maneuvers until you have them cold and can do them in the dark without thinking.
- Rehearse your lines until you have them down cold.
- Keep that list in front of you, or memorize it cold.
- (usually with "have" transitively) Cornered, done for.
- With that receipt, we have them cold for fraud.
- Criminal interrogation. Initially they will dream up explanations faster than you could ever do so, but when they become fatigued, often they will acknowledge that you have them cold.
- 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “chapter XIX”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, OCLC 1227855:
- “Either Upjohn agrees to drop that libel suit or he doesn't get these notes, as he calls them, and without them he won't be able to utter a word. He'll have to come across with the price of the papers. Won't he, Jeeves?” “He would appear to have no alternative, miss.” “Unless he wants to get up on that platform and stand there opening and shutting his mouth like a goldfish. We've got him cold.”
- (obsolete) Not pungent or acrid.
- Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
- cold plants
- Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
- (obsolete) Unexciting; dull; uninteresting.
- Ben Jonson (1572-1637)
- What a deal of cold business doth a man misspend the better part of life in!
- Joseph Addison (1672-1719)
- The jest grows cold […] when it comes on in a second scene.
- Ben Jonson (1572-1637)
- Affecting the sense of smell (as of hunting dogs) only feebly; having lost its odour.
- a cold scent
- (obsolete) Not sensitive; not acute.
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
- Smell this business with a sense as cold / As is a dead man's nose.
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
- Distant; said, in the game of hunting for some object, of a seeker remote from the thing concealed. Compare warm and hot.
- You're cold … getting warmer … hot! You've found it!
- (painting) Having a bluish effect; not warm in colour.
Synonyms
- (of a thing, having a low temperature): chilled, chilly, freezing, frigid, glacial, icy, cool
- (of the weather): (UK, slang) brass monkeys, nippy, parky, taters
- (of a person or animal):
- (unfriendly): aloof, distant, hostile, standoffish, unfriendly, unwelcoming
- (unprepared): unprepared, unready
- See also Wikisaurus:cold
Antonyms
- (having a low temperature): baking, boiling, heated, hot, scorching, searing, torrid, warm
- (of the weather): hot (See the corresponding synonyms of hot.)
- (of a person or animal): hot (See the corresponding synonyms of hot.)
- (unfriendly): amiable, friendly, welcoming
- (unprepared): prepared, primed, ready
Derived terms
Terms derived from the adjective cold
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Translations
having a low temperature
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|
of the weather
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of a person
|
unfriendly
|
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unprepared
|
Noun
cold (plural colds)
- A condition of low temperature.
- Come in, out of the cold.
- (medicine) A common, usually harmless, viral illness, usually with congestion of the nasal passages and sometimes fever.
- I caught a miserable cold and had to stay home for a week.
Synonyms
- (low temperature): coldness
- (illness): common cold, coryza, head cold
Derived terms
Terms derived from the noun cold
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Coordinate terms
Translations
low temperature
|
|
illness
|
|
Adverb
cold (comparative more cold, superlative most cold)
- While at low temperature.
- The steel was processed cold.
- Without preparation.
- The speaker went in cold and floundered for a topic.
- With finality.
- I knocked him out cold.
- (slang, informal, dated) In a cold, frank, or realistically honest manner.
- Now Little Bo Peep cold lost her sheep / And Rip van Winkle fell the **** asleep — Run Dmc, Peter Piper.