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Word Wednesday: Gelid


Definition of GELID
: extremely cold : icy <gelid water> gelid reserve — New Yorker>
— ge·lid·i·ty \jə-ˈli-də-tē, je-\ noun
— gel·id·ly \ˈje-ləd-lē\ adverb

Origin of GELID
Latin gelidus, from gelu frost, cold — more at cold
First Known Use: 1599

Related to GELID
Synonyms: algid, arctic, bitter, bone-chilling, chill, chilly, coldish, cool, coolish, freezing, frigid, frosty, cold, glacial, ice-cold, icy, nipping, nippy, numbing, polar, shivery, snappy, wintry (also wintery)
Antonyms: ardent, blazing, boiling, broiling, burning, fervent, fervid, fiery, glowing, hot, igneous, molten, piping hot, red-hot, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, seething, sizzling, sultry, sweltering, torrid, ultrahot, warming, white-hot

Examples of GELID:
“The look she gave him was intensely gelid and he shied away from its frost.”
“I like my coffee gelid in the summertime.”
“Hey dude, that car is totally gelid. Can I drive it?”
“No, dude. Driving someone else’s car is totally not gelid.”
Anecdote about GELID:
When I first discovered this word I decided it would be the new slang that all the hip and trendy kids used when talking to each other (see my plans coming to fruition in the above examples). In an effort to get this to take off, I would throw the word “gelid” into random conversation and wait for people to pick up on it. What happened most of the time was that people would give me weird looks and say, “What?!” So eventually I gave up the ghost and have been waiting for the day that this word would make its reappearance. Today is apparently that day. Use “gelid” in a conversation today and see how people react. It will immediately establish you as either a. someone with a witty and extensive vocabulary or b. a total nerd who needs to be given a swirly. Enjoy!

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 10, 2011 at 7:52 AM

    Horray for getting my head put in the gelid waters of a toilet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LHawkAugust 10, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    Well, I just learned a new word today.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AmandaAugust 12, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    Okay, this is a stupid question, but is it pronounced GEL-id. Or ga-LID. Or Hell-id? Or... is that last one just trying to get too Hispanic with it?

    ReplyDelete

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