cold

Etymology 1

From Middle English cold, from Old English, specifically Anglian cald. The West Saxon form, ċeald (“cold”), survived as early Middle English cheald, cheld, or chald. Both descended from Proto-West Germanic *kald, from Proto-Germanic *kaldaz, a participle form of *kalaną (“to be cold”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“cold”). Cognates Cognate with Scots cald, cauld (“cold”), Saterland Frisian koold (“cold”), West Frisian kâld (“cold”), Dutch koud (“cold”), Low German kold, koolt, koold (“cold”), German kalt (“cold”), Danish kold (“cold”), Norwegian kald (“cold”), Swedish kall (“cold”).

adj

1. (of a thing) Having a low temperature.
   A cold wind whistled through the trees.
2. (of the weather) Causing the air to be cold.
   The forecast is that it will be very cold today.
3. (of a person or animal) Feeling the sensation of coldness, especially to the point of discomfort.
   She was so cold she was shivering.
4. Unfriendly; emotionally distant or unfeeling.
   She shot me a cold glance before turning her back.
   River Song: (upon seeing the still-living Doctor, moments after he made her and two other friends watch what they thought was his death) This is cold. Even by your standards, this is cold. April 23 2011, The Impossible Astronaut (Doctor Who), season series 6, episode 1
   "At the risk of sounding cold though, I'm glad he's gone. His abandonment left me in Aunt Fara's custody, and that's honestly the best thing he's ever done for me." 2015, Jocelyn Samara D., Rain, volume 3, page 237
5. Dispassionate; not prejudiced or partisan; impartial.
   Let's look at this tomorrow with a cold head.
   He's a nice guy, but the cold facts say we should fire him.
   The cold truth is that states rarely undertake military action unless their national interests are at stake.
6. Completely unprepared; without introduction.
   He was assigned cold calls for the first three months.
   The one thing considered the brass ring in selling insurance was making a sale on a cold canvass. Cold canvassing was the most dreaded exercise for most insurance salesmen. 2019, Kelly D. Harrison, Air Force Cop: An Autobiography, page 100
7. Unconscious or deeply asleep; deprived of the metaphorical heat associated with life or consciousness.
   I knocked him out cold.
   After one more beer he passed out cold.
8. (usually with "have" or "know" transitively) Perfectly, exactly, completely; by heart; down pat.
   Practice your music scales until you know them cold.
   Try both these maneuvers until you have them cold and can do them in the dark without thinking.
   Rehearse your lines until you have them down cold.
   Keep that list in front of you, or memorize it cold.
9. (usually with "have" transitively) Cornered; done for.
   With that receipt, we have them cold for fraud.
   Criminal interrogation. Initially they will dream up explanations faster than you could ever do so, but when they become fatigued, often they will acknowledge that you have them cold.
10. (obsolete) Not pungent or acrid.
11. (obsolete) Unexciting; dull; uninteresting.
12. Affecting the sense of smell (as of hunting dogs) only feebly; having lost its odour.
    a cold scent
13. (obsolete) Not sensitive; not acute.
14. Distant; said, in the game of hunting for some object, of a seeker remote from the thing concealed. Compare warm and hot.
    You're cold … getting warmer … hot! You've found it!
15. (painting) Having a bluish effect; not warm in colour.
16. (databases) Rarely used or accessed, and thus able to be relegated to slower storage.
17. (informal) Without compassion; heartless; ruthless.
    I can't believe she said that...that was cold!
18. (informal) Not radioactive.
    "That's right," Jackson said. "The Old Man will be pleased to welcome you." There was eagerness in his reedy voice. "What do you say? We'll take care of you. Feed you, bring you cold plants and animals. For a week maybe?" 1953, Philip K. Dick, “Planet for Transients”, in Fantastic Universe magazine, number Oct-Nov 1953, page 64
19. (firearms) Not loaded with a round of live ammunition.
20. Without electrical power being supplied.
    Therefore, to avoid unnecessary delay in the trouble-shooting procedure, it is good practice to make a resistance check on a "cold" circuit (before applying power), to determine whether resistance values are normal. 1956, Philco Corporation, Handbook of Test Methods and Practices, pages 3–3

Etymology 2

From Middle English cold, colde, from Old English cald, ċeald (“cold, coldness”), from Proto-West Germanic *kald, from Proto-Germanic *kaldą (“coldness”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“cold”). Cognates Compare Saterland Frisian Keelde (“cold”), West Frisian kjeld (“cold”), Dutch koude (“cold”), German Low German Kolle, Koll (“cold”), German Kälte (“cold”), Danish kulde (“cold”), Swedish köld (“cold”), Norwegian kulde (“cold”), Icelandic kuldi (“cold”).

noun

1. A condition of low temperature.
   Come in, out of the cold.
2. (with 'the', figurative) A harsh place; a place of abandonment.
   The former politician was left out in the cold after his friends deserted him.
3. (medicine) A common, usually harmless, viral illness, usually with congestion of the nasal passages and sometimes fever.
   I caught a miserable cold and had to stay home for a week
4. (slang) rheum, sleepy dust
   Who the fuck is this, pagin' me at 5:46 in the morning? / crack of dawn and now I'm yawnin' / wipe the cold out my eye, see who's this pagin' me and why 1994, Notorious B.I.G., Warning
   But I remember this, moms would lick her finger tips / to wipe the cold out my eye before school with her spit 1996, Ghostface Killah, All That I Got Is You

Etymology 3

From Middle English colde, from Old English calde, ċealde (“coldly”), from the adjective (see above).

adv

1. At a low temperature.
   The steel was processed cold.
2. Without preparation.
   The speaker went in cold and floundered for a topic.
   Two weeks after it closed, he started rehearsals for Cheer Up, a new play by Mary Roberts Rinehart booked into the Harris Theatre. It was to open cold without any out-of-town tryout under the direction of a young Cecil B. DeMille […] 2008, Geddeth Smith, Walter Hampden: Dean of the American Theatre, page 104
3. (slang, informal, dated) In a cold, frank, or realistically honest manner.
   Now Little Bo Peep cold lost her sheep / And Rip van Winkle fell the hell asleep 1986, Run-DMC, Peter Piper.