- cold
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/kohld/, adj., colder, coldest, n., adv. adj.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.18. go cold, Slang. (in sports and games) to become unproductive or ineffective; be unable to score.20. throw cold water on, to disparage; disapprove of; dampen the enthusiasm of: They threw cold water on her hopes to take acting classes.n.21. the relative absence of heat: Everyone suffered from the intense cold.22. 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.23. cold weather: He can't take the cold.24. 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.25. catch or take cold, to get or suffer from a cold: We all caught cold during that dreadful winter.26. 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.27. 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.adv.28. with complete competence, thoroughness, or certainty; absolutely: He learned his speech cold.29. without preparation or prior notice: She had to play the lead role cold.30. in an abrupt, unceremonious manner: He quit the job cold.31. 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.[bef. 950; ME; OE cald, ceald; c. Goth kalds, ON kaldr, G kalt, D koud; akin to L gel- in gelidus GELID]Syn. 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.
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Universalium. 2010.
