frigid

English

Etymology

From Latin frīgidus (“cold”), from frīgeō (“I am cold”), from frigus (“cold, coldness”), from Proto-Indo-European *sriges-, *sriHges-.

Pronunciation

• enPR: frĭj'ĭd, IPA: /ˈfɹɪdʒɪd/, X-SAMPA: /"fr\IdZId/
• Rhymes: -ɪdʒɪd

Adjective

frigid (comparative more frigid, superlative most frigid)

1. Very cold; lacking warmth; icy.
   • 2013 March 1, Nancy Langston, “Mining the Boreal North”, American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 98: 

     Reindeer are well suited to the taiga’s frigid winters. They can maintain a thermogradient between body core and the environment of up to 100 degrees, in part because of insulation provided by their fur, and in part because of counter-current vascular heat exchange systems in their legs and nasal passages.

2. Chilly in manner; lacking affection or zeal; impassive.
3. (colloquial) Sexually unresponsive, especially of a woman.

Related terms

• frigidity
• frigidly
• frigidness

Antonyms

• fervid

Translations

very cold

• Czech: frigidní (cs), ledový (cs)
• Finnish: jääkylmä (fi), hyinen (fi), jäätävä (fi)
• French: frigide (fr)

• Latin: frīgidus (la)
• Maori: hōkiwai  (mi)
• Russian: очень холодный (ru) (óčen' xolódnyj)
• Spanish: frígido (es)

chilly in manner; lacking affection or zeal; impassive

• Czech: frigidní (cs)
• Finnish: kylmä (fi), jäätävä (fi), hyinen (fi)

• Georgian: გულგრილი (ka) (gulgrili)

sexually unresponsive, especially of a woman

• Finnish: frigidi (fi)
• Georgian: ფრიგიდული (ka) (p’rigiduli)

• German: kalt (de)
• Russian: фригидный (ru) (frigídnyj) m, фригидная (ru) (frigídnaja) f (feminine form)

References

• frigid in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• frigid in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913