Cooling

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkuːlɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of lowering the temperature or dissipating heat to achieve a desired thermal condition
2. A technique employed to decrease heat levels or achieve more favorable temperatures for comfort or efficiency
3. The process of reducing heat in an environment or object to achieve a lower temperature

Etymology: "Cooling" is a simple formation: the verb "cool" with the suffix "-ing", which turns a verb into a noun for an action or process. "Cool" itself goes back to Old English "cōl", and the verb "cōlian" was already in use by then, so the word's core has been in English for more than a thousand years. The suffix does the rest of the work, naming the ongoing process of making something less warm. The noun form, meaning the process of lowering heat, follows the same pattern, so it carries no special surprise of its own. Its sense is closely tied to the physical act: a cooling of water, air, or metal, or the cooling system in an engine. The word therefore stays close to its concrete origin in the everyday experience of things growing less warm.

Synonyms: chilling, refreshing, freezing, calming, soothing

Antonyms: heating, warming, agitating, exciting, stimulating