Coldnesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or quality of being devoid of warmth or heat
2. The emotional detachment or lack of warmth in human relationships
3. The absence of enthusiasm or friendliness, often perceived as indifferent or unwelcoming

Etymology: "Coldnesses" is simply the plural of "coldness", so it describes several instances or kinds of the quality of being cold. The base word traces back through Middle English "coldnesse" to Old English "cealdness" and "cealdnys", and ultimately to a Proto-West Germanic form, *kaldanassī, that meant the same thing. The "-ness" ending is the more productive part of the story. It is a native English suffix that attaches to adjectives to turn them into nouns of state or quality, as in "kindness" or "darkness". "Cold" supplies the root, and the suffix converts it into an abstract noun for the condition itself. Cognates in West Frisian, Middle Low German and Middle High German show the same construction across related languages.

Synonyms: chilliness, coolness, frigidness, temperatures, iciness

Antonyms: warmth, heat, hotness, fervor, passion