still-warm
Meaning
(of food, drink, or an object) retaining some warmth after being recently heated, cooked, or used.
Structure
Usage
She offered me a slice of still-warm bread from the oven.
He sat down in the still-warm chair his colleague had just left.
The cookies were delicious, especially when they were still-warm and gooey in the middle.
Etymology
The compound adjective 'still-warm' is a transparent combination of two native English elements. 'Still' originates from the Proto-Germanic stillijaz, related to the concept of standing or being fixed, which evolved to mean 'continuing without change'. 'Warm' descends from Proto-Germanic warmaz, itself from the Proto-Indo-European root gʷʰer- meaning 'warm, hot'. The compound's logic is directly descriptive: it denotes a state where the quality of being warm persists from a prior condition, such as cooking or handling. It is most commonly applied to freshly prepared food or recently vacated seats, evoking a sense of recent presence or activity.
Analysis
- still: From Old English stille (motionless, at rest, quiet). In this compound, it functions as an adverb meaning 'continuing to be'. - warm: From Old English wearm (having a moderate degree of heat). It functions as the core adjective describing the temperature.