Cold definition |Dictionary.com

Cold

12 dictionary results for: Cold

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

cold

[kohld] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, noun, adverb

–adjective

1.	having a relatively low temperature; having little or no warmth: cold water; a cold day.

2.	feeling an uncomfortable lack of warmth; chilled: The skaters were cold.

3.	having a temperature lower than the normal temperature of the human body: cold hands.

4.	lacking in passion, emotion, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.; dispassionate: cold reason.

5.	not affectionate, cordial, or friendly; unresponsive: a cold reply; a cold reception.

6.	lacking sensual desire: She remained cold to his advances.

7.	failing to excite feeling or interest: the cold precision of his prose.

8.	unexcitable; imperturbable: cold impassivity.

9.	depressing; dispiriting: the cold atmosphere of a hospital waiting room.

10.	unconscious because of a severe blow, shock, etc.: I knocked him cold with an uppercut.

11.	lacking the warmth of life; lifeless: When the doctor arrived, the body was already cold.

12.	faint; weak: The dogs lost the cold scent.

13.	(in games) distant from the object of search or the correct answer.

14.	Slang. (in sports and games) not scoring or winning; ineffective: Cold shooting and poor rebounding were their undoing.

15.

Art.

a.	having cool colors, esp. muted tones tending toward grayish blue.

b.	being a cool color.

16.	slow to absorb heat, as a soil containing a large amount of clay and hence retentive of moisture.

17.	Metalworking. noting or pertaining to any process involving plastic deformation of a metal at a temperature below that at which recrystallization can occur because of the strain: cold working.

–noun

18.	the relative absence of heat: Everyone suffered from the intense cold.

19.	the sensation produced by loss of heat from the body, as by contact with anything having a lower temperature than that of the body: He felt the cold of the steel door against his cheek.

20.	cold weather: He can't take the cold.

21.	Also called common cold. a respiratory disorder characterized by sneezing, sore throat, coughing, etc., caused by an allergic reaction or by a viral, bacterial, or mixed infection.

–adverb

22.	with complete competence, thoroughness, or certainty; absolutely: He learned his speech cold.

23.	without preparation or prior notice: She had to play the lead role cold.

24.	in an abrupt, unceremonious manner: He quit the job cold.

25.	Metalworking. at a temperature below that at which recrystallization can occur (sometimes used in combination): to cold-hammer an iron bar; The wire was drawn cold.

—Idioms

26.	catch or take cold, to get or suffer from a cold: We all caught cold during that dreadful winter.

27.	go cold, Slang. (in sports and games) to become unproductive or ineffective; be unable to score.

28.	in cold blood. blood (def. 20).

29.	in from the cold, out of a position or condition of exile, concealment, isolation, or alienation: Since the new government promised amnesty, fugitive rebels are coming in from the cold.

30.	left out in the cold, neglected; ignored; forgotten: After the baby came, the young husband felt left out in the cold. Also, out in the cold.

31.	throw cold water on, to disparage; disapprove of; dampen the enthusiasm of: They threw cold water on her hopes to take acting classes.

[Origin: bef. 950; ME; OE cald, ceald; c. Goth kalds, ON kaldr, G kalt, D koud; akin to L gel- in gelidus gelid

]

—Related forms

coldish, adjective

coldly, adverb

coldness, noun

—Synonyms 1. frigid, gelid, frozen, freezing. Cold, chill, chilly, cool refer to various degrees of absence of heat. Cold refers to temperature possibly so low as to cause suffering: cold water. Chill suggests a penetrating cold which causes shivering and numbness: There was a chill wind blowing. Chilly is a weaker word, though it also connotes shivering and discomfort: a chilly room. Cool means merely somewhat cold, not warm: cool and comfortable. All have figurative uses. 4. indifferent, uninvolved, cool, unconcerned, imperturbable. 5. apathetic, unsympathetic, unfeeling, heartless, polite, formal, reserved, unfriendly, inimical, hostile. 7. uninspiring, dull. 8. calm, deliberate.

—Antonyms 1. hot. 4. warm, emotional. 13. warm.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

cold (kōld) Pronunciation Key
adj. cold·er, cold·est

1. Having a low temperature.
2. Having a temperature lower than normal body temperature.
3. Feeling no warmth; uncomfortably chilled.
4. Marked by deficient heat: a cold room.
5. Being at a temperature that is less than what is required: cold oatmeal.
6. Chilled by refrigeration or ice: cold beer.
7. Not affectionate or friendly; aloof: a cold person; a cold nod.
8. Exhibiting or feeling no enthusiasm: a cold audience; a cold response to the new play; a concert that left me cold.
9. Devoid of sexual desire; frigid.
10. Marked by or sustaining a loss of body heat: cold hands and feet.
11. Appearing to be dead; unconscious.
12. Dead: was cold in his grave.
1. Marked by deficient heat: a cold room.
2. Being at a temperature that is less than what is required: cold oatmeal.
3. Chilled by refrigeration or ice: cold beer.
4. Not affectionate or friendly; aloof: a cold person; a cold nod.
5. Exhibiting or feeling no enthusiasm: a cold audience; a cold response to the new play; a concert that left me cold.
6. Devoid of sexual desire; frigid.
7. Marked by or sustaining a loss of body heat: cold hands and feet.
8. Appearing to be dead; unconscious.
9. Dead: was cold in his grave.
Lacking emotion; objective: cold logic.
Having no appeal to the senses or feelings: a cold decor.
1. Not affectionate or friendly; aloof: a cold person; a cold nod.
2. Exhibiting or feeling no enthusiasm: a cold audience; a cold response to the new play; a concert that left me cold.
3. Devoid of sexual desire; frigid.
4. Marked by or sustaining a loss of body heat: cold hands and feet.
5. Appearing to be dead; unconscious.
6. Dead: was cold in his grave.
Designating a tone or color, such as pale gray, that suggests little warmth.
Having lost all freshness or vividness through passage of time: dogs attempting to catch a cold scent.
1. Marked by or sustaining a loss of body heat: cold hands and feet.
2. Appearing to be dead; unconscious.
3. Dead: was cold in his grave.
Marked by unqualified certainty or sure familiarity.
So intense as to be almost uncontrollable: cold fury.
Characterized by repeated failure, especially in a sport or competitive activity: The team fell into a slump of cold shooting.

adv.

To an unqualified degree; totally: was cold sober.
With complete finality: We turned him down cold.
Without advance preparation or introduction: took the exam cold and passed; walked in cold and got the new job.

1. Relative lack of warmth.
2. The sensation resulting from lack of warmth; chill.
A condition of low air temperature; cold weather: went out into the cold and got a chill.
A viral infection characterized by inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the upper respiratory passages and usually accompanied by malaise, fever, chills, coughing, and sneezing. Also called common cold, coryza.

[Middle English, from Old English ceald; see gel- in Indo-European roots.]

cold'ly adv., cold'ness n.

Synonyms: These adjectives mean marked by a low or an extremely low temperature: cold air; an arctic climate; a chilly day; cool water; a frigid room; a frosty morning; gelid seas; glacial winds; icy hands.
Antonym: hot

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
cold

O.E. cald (Anglian), ceald (W.Saxon), from P.Gmc. *kaldaz, possibly pp. adj. of *kal-/*kol-, from PIE base *gel-/*gol- "cold." Japanese has two words for "cold:" samui for coldness in the atmosphere or environment; tsumetai for things which are cold to touch, and also in the fig. sense, with ref. to personalities, behaviors, etc. Sense in common cold is 1537, from symptoms resembling those of exposure to cold; cold-blooded (1595) refers to old notion that blood temperature rose with excitement; meaning "not strong" (in reference to scent) is 1592, from hunting. Cold-hearted (1606) is originally in Shakespeare. Cold feet is Amer.Eng., 1890s, but the presumed It. original (avegh minga frecc i pee) is a Lombard proverb meaning "to have no money." Cold shoulder (1816, first in Sir Walter Scott), is probably originally a literal figure, but commonly used with a punning reference to "cold shoulder of mutton," a dish. Cold War used in print Oct. 1945 by George Orwell (popularized in U.S. c.1947 by Bernard Baruch). Cold-call in the sales pitch sense first recorded 1972.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

cold
adjective
1.	having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration; "a cold climate"; "a cold room"; "dinner has gotten cold"; "cold fingers"; "if you are cold, turn up the heat"; "a cold beer" [ant: hot]
2.	extended meanings; especially of psychological coldness; without human warmth or emotion; "a cold unfriendly nod"; "a cold and unaffectionate person"; "a cold impersonal manner"; "cold logic"; "the concert left me cold" [ant: hot]
3.	having lost freshness through passage of time; "a cold trail"; "dogs attempting to catch a cold scent"
4.	(color) giving no sensation of warmth; "a cold bluish grey"
5.	marked by errorless familiarity; "had her lines cold before rehearsals started"
6.	lacking originality or spontaneity; no longer new; "moth-eaten theories about race"; "stale news"
7.	so intense as to be almost uncontrollable; "cold fury gripped him"
8.	sexually unresponsive; "was cold to his advances"; "a frigid woman"
9.	without compunction or human feeling; "in cold blood"; "cold-blooded killing"; "insensate destruction"
10.	feeling or showing no enthusiasm; "a cold audience"; "a cold response to the new play"
11.	unconscious from a blow or shock or intoxication; "the boxer was out cold"; "pass out cold"
12.	of a seeker; far from the object sought
13.	lacking the warmth of life; "cold in his grave"
noun
1.	a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages (but not the lungs); "will they never find a cure for the common cold?"
2.	the absence of heat; "the coldness made our breath visible"; "come in out of the cold"; "cold is a vasoconstrictor" [syn: coldness] [ant: heat]
3.	the sensation produced by low temperatures; "he shivered from the cold"; "the cold helped clear his head"

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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

cold

In addition to the idioms beginning with cold, also see blow hot and cold; catch cold; come in from the cold; in a cold sweat; in cold blood; in cold storage; in the cold light of day; knock out (cold); leave one cold; make one's blood run cold; out cold; out in the cold; pour cold water on; stone cold; stop cold.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

COLD
1. A sugared version of COLD-K.
2. Computer Output to Laser Disc.
(1995-01-04)

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U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Cold Brook, NY (village, FIPS 16815) Location: 43.24089 N, 75.03762 W
Population (1990): 310 (126 housing units)
Area: 1.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 13324

Cold Spring, MN (city, FIPS 12484) Location: 45.45750 N, 94.43148 W
Population (1990): 2459 (874 housing units)
Area: 3.8 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 56320

Cold Spring, NY (village, FIPS 16936) Location: 41.41881 N, 73.95494 W
Population (1990): 1998 (941 housing units)
Area: 1.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 10516

Cold Springs, CA Zip code(s): 95335

Cold Bay, AK (city, FIPS 16530) Location: 55.22503 N, 162.73888 W
Population (1990): 148 (73 housing units)
Area: 150.2 sq km (land), 56.8 sq km (water)

Cold Spring, KY (city, FIPS 16372) Location: 39.02396 N, 84.43738 W
Population (1990): 2880 (1047 housing units)
Area: 5.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

Cold Spring Harb, NY Zip code(s): 11724

Cold Spring Harbor, NY (CDP, FIPS 16958) Location: 40.86305 N, 73.44790 W
Population (1990): 4789 (1747 housing units)
Area: 9.6 sq km (land), 0.5 sq km (water)

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Cold

Chill\ (ch[i^]l), n. [AS. cele, cyle, from the same root as celan, calan, to be cold; akin to D. kil cold, coldness, Sw. kyla to chill, and E. cool. See Cold, and cf. Cool.]

1. A moderate but disagreeable degree of cold; a disagreeable sensation of coolness, accompanied with shivering. "[A] wintry chill." --W. Irving.

2. (Med.) A sensation of cold with convulsive shaking of the body, pinched face, pale skin, and blue lips, caused by undue cooling of the body or by nervous excitement, or forming the precursor of some constitutional disturbance, as of a fever.

3. A check to enthusiasm or warmth of feeling; discouragement; as, a chill comes over an assembly.

4. An iron mold or portion of a mold, serving to cool rapidly, and so to harden, the surface of molten iron brought in contact with it. --Raymond.

5. The hardened part of a casting, as the tread of a car wheel. --Knight.

Chill and fever, fever and ague.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Cold

Chis"el\, n. [OF. chisel, F. ciseau, fr. LL. cisellus, prob. for caesellus, fr. L. caesus, p. p. of caedere to cut. Cf. Scissors.] A tool with a cutting edge on one end of a metal blade, used in dressing, shaping, or working in timber, stone, metal, etc.; -- usually driven by a mallet or hammer.

Cold chisel. See under Cold, a.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Cold

Cold\ (k[=o]ld), a. [Compar. Colder (-[~e]r); superl. Coldest.] [OE. cold, cald, AS. cald, ceald; akin to OS. kald, D. koud, G. kalt, Icel. kaldr, Dan. kold, Sw. kall, Goth. kalds, L. gelu frost, gelare to freeze. Orig. p. p. of AS. calan to be cold, Icel. kala to freeze. Cf. Cool, a., Chill, n.]

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 scent.

8. Not sensitive; not acute.

Smell this business with a sense as cold As is a dead man's nose. --Shak.

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 Blast, n., 2.

Cold blood. See under Blood, n., 8.

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.

He was slain in cold blood after the fight was over. --Sir W. Scott.

To give one the cold shoulder, to treat one with neglect.

Syn: Gelid; bleak; frigid; chill; indifferent; unconcerned; passionless; reserved; unfeeling; stoical.

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American Heritage Abbreviations Dictionary 3rd Edition - Cite This Source - Share This

COLD

chronic obstructive lung disease
computer output to laser disk

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