Word of the Day

: June 6, 2008

gelid

adjective JELL-id

What It Means

: extremely cold : icy

gelid in Context

The rescue team braved gelid conditions as they searched the mountain for the lost climber.

Did You Know?

"Gelid" first appeared in English late in the 16th century, coming to our language from Latin "gelidus," which ultimately derives from the noun "gelu," meaning "frost" or "cold." (Our noun "gelatin," which can refer to an edible jelly that undergoes a cooling process as part of its formation, comes from a related Latin word: "gelare," meaning "to freeze.") "Gelid" is used in English to describe anything of extremely cold temperature (as in "the gelid waters of the Arctic Ocean"), but the word can also be used figuratively to describe a person with a cold demeanor (as in "the criminal's gelid stare").