cold
UK[kəʊld]US[koʊld]
adj
Having a low temperature; not warm or hot.
adj
Feeling uncomfortable due to lack of warmth.
adj
Lacking affection, warmth, or enthusiasm; unfriendly.
n
A common viral infection that causes a runny nose, sneezing, and coughing.
n
Low temperature, especially in the atmosphere; cold weather.
Etymology
The word 'cold' originates from the Old English 'cald' or 'ceald', which meant "cold, cool, not warm." This Old English term descended from the Proto-Germanic 'kaldaz', a direct derivative of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root 'gel-', meaning "cold; to freeze." This same ancient root is the source of related words like 'cool', 'chill', and 'gelatin'. The semantic journey is straightforward: the core concept of low temperature has remained remarkably stable from its ancient PIE origin, through its Germanic evolution, and into its modern English form. The word later developed figurative extensions, such as describing unemotional behavior, directly from the physical sensation's association with a lack of warmth.
Analysis
The word 'cold' is a simplex word of Germanic origin. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller, independent morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The water was too cold for swimming.
She gave him a cold stare when he entered the room.
I think I'm catching a cold from my colleague.