Where does “ice-cold” come from?
ice-cold (English) comes from Middle English is-cold, from Old English īsċeald, from Old English ċeald, from Proto-West Germanic kald, from Proto-Germanic kaldaz, from Proto-Germanic kalaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.
ice-cold (English): As cold as ice; very cold; Without emotion;...
Definitions
- As cold as ice; very cold; Without emotion;...
Ancestry of “ice-cold”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | is-cold | — |
| 2 | Old English | īsċeald | — |
| 3 | Old English | ċeald | cold, coldness |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | kald | cold |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kaldaz | cold |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kalaną | to be cold, to freeze |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |