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cool

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Cool and COOL

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English cool, from Old English cōl (“cool, cold, tranquil, calm”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōl(ī), from Proto-Germanic *kōlaz, *kōluz (“cool”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“cold”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian köil (“cool”), West Frisian koel (“cool”), Dutch koel (“cool”), Limburgish kool (“cool”), German Low German köhl (“cool”), German kühl (“cool”). Related to cold.

Adjective

cool (comparative cooler, superlative coolest)

cool colors
  2. Of a mildly low temperature.
    Synonym: chilly
    Antonyms: lukewarm, tepid, warm
    I like cool weather the most 'cause it's not too hot to wear a jacket but I won't be too cold in my shorts.
    • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
      The day was cool and snappy for August, and the Rise all green with a lavish nature. Now we plunged into a deep shade with the boughs lacing each other overhead, and crossed dainty, rustic bridges over the cold trout-streams, the boards giving back the clatter of our horses' feet: […] .
  3. Allowing or suggesting heat relief.
    Linen has made cool and breathable clothing for millennia.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 2, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
      Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety.  She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.
  4. Of a color, in the range of violet to green.
    Antonym: warm
    If you have a reddish complexion, you should mainly wear cool colors.
  5. (of a person) Not showing emotion; calm and in control of oneself.
    Synonyms: distant, phlegmatic, standoffish, unemotional
    Antonym: passionate
    Be cool. There's no need to panic.
  6. Unenthusiastic, lukewarm, skeptical.
    Antonym: warm
    His proposals had a cool reception.
  7. Calmly audacious.
  8. Applied facetiously to a sum of money, commonly as if to give emphasis to the largeness of the amount.
    • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
      Who will lend me a cool hundred.
    • 1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter XVIII, in Great Expectations […], volume III, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 303:
      But she had wrote out a little coddleshell in her own hand a day or two afore the accident, leaving a cool four thousand to Mr. Matthew Pocket.
    • 1900, Dora Sigerson Shorter, Transmigration
      You remember Bulger, don't you? You lost a cool hundred to him one night here over the cards, eh?
    • 1944 November 28, Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe, Meet Me in St. Louis, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer:
      My father was talking to the World's Fair Commission yesterday, and they estimate it's going to cost a cool fifty million.
  9. (informal, of a person) Knowing what to do and how to behave; behaving with effortless and enviable style and panache; considered popular by others.
    Antonyms: awkward, uncool
    • 2017 December 27, “The Guardian view on Prince Harry: the monarchy’s best insurance policy”, in the Guardian‎[2]:
      He managed to conduct interviews with the least cool global figure – his father, Prince Charles – and the most cool, Barack Obama, in a way that allowed them both to look as good as they could.
  10. (informal, originally African-American Vernacular) Fashionable; trendy and hip.
    Synonyms: à la mode, fashionable, in fashion, modish, stylish, happening, hip, in, trendy
    Antonyms: démodé, old hat, out, out of fashion
    • 2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii
      The fact that I was middle-aged, bald, married, and raising girls instead of chasing them didn't really bother me. Muscles are cool at any age.
  11. (informal) All right; acceptable.
    Synonyms: acceptable, all right, OK
    Antonyms: (UK) not cricket, not on, unacceptable
    Is it cool if I sleep here tonight?
    • 1962, “Monster Mash”, Bobby "Boris" Pickett, Lenny Capizzi (lyrics), performed by Bobby (Boris) Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers:
      Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band / And my Monster Mash is the hit of the land / For you, the living, this Mash was meant too / When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you.
  12. (informal) Very interesting or exciting.
    I think astronomy is really cool.
    Synonyms: awesome, neat
  13. (informal) Followed by with, able to tolerate.
    I'm completely cool with my girlfriend leaving me.
    Synonyms: easy, fine, not bothered, not fussed
    Antonyms: bothered, upset
  14. (informal) Of a pair of people, Having good relations.
    We're cool, right?
Derived terms
Descendants
  • → Chinese: 酷 (kù)
  • → Danish: cool
  • → Dutch: cool
  • → French: cool
  • → German: cool
  • → Hebrew: קוּל (kul)
  • → Japanese: クール (kūru)
    ⇒ Japanese: クーデレ (kūdere)
    → English: kuudere
  • → Polish: cool
  • → Romanian: cool
  • → Serbo-Croatian:
  • → Spanish: cool
  • → Swedish: cool
  • → Turkish: cool
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

cool (uncountable)

  1. A moderate or refreshing state of cold; moderate temperature of the air between hot and cold; coolness.
    in the cool of the morning
  2. A calm temperament.
    Synonyms: calmness, composure
  3. The property of being cool, popular or in fashion.
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English colen, from Old English cōlian (“to cool, grow cold, be cold”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōlēn (“to become cold”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to freeze”).

Cognate with Dutch koelen (“to cool”), German kühlen (“to cool”), Swedish kyla (“to cool, refrigerate”). Also partially from Middle English kelen, from Old English cēlan (“to cool, be cold, become cold”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōlijan, from Proto-Germanic *kōlijaną (“to cool”), altered to resemble the adjective cool. See keel.

Verb

cool (third-person singular simple present cools, present participle cooling, simple past and past participle cooled)

  1. (intransitive, literally) To lose heat, to get colder.
    Synonym: cool down
    Antonyms: warm, warm up, heat, heat up
    Hyponym: freeze
    I like to let my tea cool before drinking it so I don't burn my tongue.
  2. (transitive, literally) To make cooler, less warm.
    Synonyms: chill, cool down, refrigerate; deheat (rare)
    Antonyms: warm, warm up, heat, heat up
    Hyponym: freeze
  3. (intransitive, figuratively) To become less intense, e.g. less amicable or passionate.
    Relations cooled between the USA and the USSR after 1980.
  4. (transitive, figuratively) To make less intense, e.g. less amicable or passionate.
  5. (transitive, slang, dated) To kill, murder.
    • 1965, "Sex Jungle" (narrated in Perversion for Profit)
      Maybe he would die. That would mean I had murdered him. I smiled, trying the idea on for size. One of the things that always had cheesed me a little was that I had no kills to my credit. I'd been in plenty of rumbles, but somehow, I'd never cooled anyone. Well maybe now I had my first one. I couldn't feel very proud of skulling an old man, but at least I could say that I'd scored. That was a big kick.
    • 1967, Piri Thomas, Down These Mean Streets, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, page 31:
      Big-mouth got up as fast as he could, and I was thinking how much heart he had. But I ran toward him like my life depended on it; I wanted to cool him.
  6. (intransitive, African-American Vernacular, slang) To relax, hang out.
    Synonym: bool (slang)
    • 1986, “6 in the Mornin'”‎[3]performed by Ice-T:
      Seen my homeboys coolin' way way out / Told 'em bout my mornin' cold bugged' em out
    • 2000, Paul Beatty, Tuff: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Anchor Books, published 2001, →ISBN, page 223:
      "What up, kid?" ¶ "Coolin'."
    • '1997, Courttia Newland, The Scholar: A West Side Story, London: Abacus, →ISBN, page 207:
      Asbestos? Raa, dat's a dangerous t'ing boy, dat ain't good. You know what though, you guys should min' yourselves walkin' street star, dere's bere nutters about. I know you're in a crew but boy can't you jus' cool at someone's house?'
Derived terms
Translations

References

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English cool. Doublet of koel.

Pronunciation

Adjective

cool (comparative cooler, superlative coolst)

  1. cool, fashionable

Declension

Declension of cool
uninflected cool
inflected coole
comparative cooler
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial cool cooler het coolst
het coolste
indefinite m./f. sing. coole coolere coolste
n. sing. cool cooler coolste
plural coole coolere coolste
definite coole coolere coolste
partitive cools coolers —

Derived terms

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English cool.

Pronunciation

Adjective

cool (invariable)

  1. cool (only its informal senses, mainly fashionable)
    Les jeunes boivent de l’alcool pour être cool.
    Young people drink alcohol to be cool.

Interjection

cool

  1. cool! great!

Derived terms

Anagrams

German

Etymology

Borrowed from English cool. Doublet of kühl.

Pronunciation

Adjective

cool (strong nominative masculine singular cooler, comparative cooler, superlative am coolsten)

  1. (colloquial) cool (in its informal senses)
    Synonyms: brilliant, genial, geil
    Die Musik war echt cool. ― The music was very cool.
    • 1982, “Der Kommissar”, in Einzelhaft, performed by Falco:
      Wir treffen Jill und Joe und dessen Bruder Hip / Und auch den Rest der coolen Gang
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  2. (colloquial) cool, calm, easy-going
    Synonyms: lässig, ruhig
    Als Trainer muss mann ziemlich cool sein.
    As a trainer you have to be quite easy-going.

Declension

Positive forms of cool
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist cool sie ist cool es ist cool sie sind cool
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative cooler coole cooles coole
genitive coolen cooler coolen cooler
dative coolem cooler coolem coolen
accusative coolen coole cooles coole
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der coole die coole das coole die coolen
genitive des coolen der coolen des coolen der coolen
dative dem coolen der coolen dem coolen den coolen
accusative den coolen die coole das coole die coolen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein cooler eine coole ein cooles (keine) coolen
genitive eines coolen einer coolen eines coolen (keiner) coolen
dative einem coolen einer coolen einem coolen (keinen) coolen
accusative einen coolen eine coole ein cooles (keine) coolen
Comparative forms of cool
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist cooler sie ist cooler es ist cooler sie sind cooler
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative coolerer coolere cooleres coolere
genitive cooleren coolerer cooleren coolerer
dative coolerem coolerer coolerem cooleren
accusative cooleren coolere cooleres coolere
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der coolere die coolere das coolere die cooleren
genitive des cooleren der cooleren des cooleren der cooleren
dative dem cooleren der cooleren dem cooleren den cooleren
accusative den cooleren die coolere das coolere die cooleren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein coolerer eine coolere ein cooleres (keine) cooleren
genitive eines cooleren einer cooleren eines cooleren (keiner) cooleren
dative einem cooleren einer cooleren einem cooleren (keinen) cooleren
accusative einen cooleren eine coolere ein cooleres (keine) cooleren
Superlative forms of cool
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist am coolsten sie ist am coolsten es ist am coolsten sie sind am coolsten
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative coolster coolste coolstes coolste
genitive coolsten coolster coolsten coolster
dative coolstem coolster coolstem coolsten
accusative coolsten coolste coolstes coolste
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der coolste die coolste das coolste die coolsten
genitive des coolsten der coolsten des coolsten der coolsten
dative dem coolsten der coolsten dem coolsten den coolsten
accusative den coolsten die coolste das coolste die coolsten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein coolster eine coolste ein coolstes (keine) coolsten
genitive eines coolsten einer coolsten eines coolsten (keiner) coolsten
dative einem coolsten einer coolsten einem coolsten (keinen) coolsten
accusative einen coolsten eine coolste ein coolstes (keine) coolsten

Further reading

  • “cool” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “cool” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • “cool” in Duden online
  • “cool” in OpenThesaurus.de

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cool.

Pronunciation

Adjective

cool (not comparable, no derived adverb)

  1. (slang) cool (in its informal senses)
    Synonyms: świetny, wspaniały, znakomity

Further reading

  • cool in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • cool in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -u

Noun

cool m (plural cools)

  1. Filter-avoidance spelling of cu (“anus, butthole”).
    Synonym: 🆒

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cool.

Adjective

cool m or f or n (indeclinable)

  1. cool

Declension

invariable singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative-
accusative 		indefinite cool cool cool cool
definite — — — —
genitive-
dative 		indefinite cool cool cool cool
definite — — — —

Adverb

cool

  1. cool

Noun

cool n (uncountable)

  1. cool

Declension

singular only indefinite definite
nominative-accusative cool coolul
genitive-dative cool coolului
vocative coolule

Spanish

Alternative forms

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cool.

Pronunciation

Adjective

cool m or f (masculine and feminine plural cools or cool)

  1. cool (in its informal sense)

Usage notes

  • According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

Anagrams

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English cool. Attested since 1951.

Pronunciation

Adjective

cool (comparative coolare, superlative coolast)

  1. (colloquial) cool (calm, collected)
    Träskmonstret röt åt honom, men han var helt cool.
    The swamp monster roared at him, but he was completely cool.
  2. (colloquial) cool (appealing in a calm, controlled way)
    en cool snubbe med coola solglasögon ― a cool guy with cool sunglasses
    Han tyckte rymden var cool. ― He thought space was cool.

Declension

Inflection of cool
Indefinite positive comparative superlative1
common singular cool coolare coolast
neuter singular coolt coolare coolast
plural coola coolare coolast
masculine plural2 coole coolare coolast
Definite positive comparative superlative
masculine singular3 coole coolare coolaste
all coola coolare coolaste

1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
2 Dated or archaic.
3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

See also

References

Turkish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cool

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kuːɫ/
  • Hyphenation: kul

Adjective

cool

  1. cool
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