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cold

 - 11 dictionary results

cold

[kohld] 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.
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


coldish, adjective
coldly, adverb
coldness, noun


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.


1. hot. 4. warm, emotional. 13. warm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cold   (kōld)   
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.

  1. Lacking emotion; objective: cold logic.

  2. 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.

  3. Designating a tone or color, such as pale gray, that suggests little warmth.

  4. 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.

  5. Marked by unqualified certainty or sure familiarity.

  6. So intense as to be almost uncontrollable: cold fury.

  7. Characterized by repeated failure, especially in a sport or competitive activity: The team fell into a slump of cold shooting.

adv.  
  1. To an unqualified degree; totally: was cold sober.

  2. With complete finality: We turned him down cold.

  3. Without advance preparation or introduction: took the exam cold and passed; walked in cold and got the new job.

n.  
    1. Relative lack of warmth.

    2. The sensation resulting from lack of warmth; chill.

  1. A condition of low air temperature; cold weather: went out into the cold and got a chill.

  2. 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
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
cold

  1. mod.
    [stopping something] suddenly and totally. : I stopped cold—afraid to move further.
  2. mod.
    dead. : This parrot is cold—pifted!
  3. mod.
    not good. : The lecture was cold and dull.
  4. mod.
    excellent. (Very cool.) : That last pitch was cold, man.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1cold
Pronunciation: 'kOld
Function: adjective
1 a : having or being a temperature that is noticeably lower than bodytemperature and especially that is uncomfortable for humans cold outside today> cold drafty exercise room> b : having a relatively low temperatureor one that is lower than normal or expected cold> c : receptive to the sensation of coldness : stimulated by cold coldspot is a typical receptor in higher vertebrates>
2 : marked by the loss of normal body heat <cold hands>
3 : DEAD

4 : exhibiting little or no radioactivity —cold·ness /'kOl(d)-n&s/ noun

Main Entry: 2cold
Function: noun
1 : bodily sensation produced by loss or lack of heat
2 : a bodily disorder popularly associatedwith chilling: a in humans : COMMON COLD b in domestic animals : CORYZA

Main Entry: COLD
Function: abbreviation
chronic obstructive lung disease
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

cold (kōld)
n.
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 coryza, acute rhinitis, common cold, coryza.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

COLD
1. A sugared version of COLD-K.
2. Computer Output to Laser Disk - see Enterprise Report Management.
(2007-07-24)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
COLD
  1. chronic obstructive lung disease

  2. computer output to laser disk

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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