Where does “cool” come from?
Cool comes from Proto-Germanic kōlaz, derived from Proto-Indo-European gel-, a root expressing coldness or freezing.
cool (English): Having a slightly low temperature; mildly or...
Definitions
- Having a slightly low temperature; mildly or...
Ancestry of “cool”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cool | — |
| 2 | Middle English | pek | peak |
| 3 | Middle English | pike | Alternative form of pyke; pike; sharp point, iron... |
| 4 | Old English | pīc | pointed object, pick axe |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *pīk | — |
| 6 | Latin | pix | pitch, tar |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pik- | to be angry; pitch; resin |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pi- | sap, juice |
Words derived from “cool”