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coolness

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English colnes, colnesse, from Old English cōlnes, cœ̄lnes, cēlnes (“coolness; cool air, breeze”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōlinassī, equivalent to cool +‎ -ness. Cognate with Middle High German kuolnisse, küelnisse (“cooling, coolness”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈkuːlnəs/
  • Hyphenation: cool‧ness
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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coolness (usually uncountable, plural coolnesses)

  1. Moderate chilliness.
    • 1883, Emily Sullivan Oakey, In the Heat., in At the Foot of Parnassus, page 97:
      I know a place of all sweet coolnesses; / a little island, like an emerald, set / in the clear argent of a river, that is / Itself a shining net
    • 1917, Margaret Pollock Sherwood, “The Comradship of Trees”, in Familiar Ways, section III, page 135:
      Surely there is between human kind and trees a kinship immemorial, antedating the fret and fever of the nerves, bringing old coolnesses to serve as refuge, making us know the time when spring was no torment, autumn no regret.
  2. Calmness, confidence, or level-headedness.
  3. (dated, usually countable) Conflict or hostility or an instance of such that stands in contrast to expected friendliness or interest.
    • 1892, James Bowling Mozley, “Archbishop Laud.”, in Essays, Historical and Theological, volume 1, page 201:
      In the midst of enemies, Irish and English, Court treacheries and coolnesses, Strafford depended solely upon Laud, and no one other support.
    • 1907 September, “Cosy Corner Chats”, in Pictorial Comedy: The Humorous Phases of Life Depicted by Eminent Artists., volume XVII, number 6, What Ought to be Done?, page 32 (page 252 in the collected volume), column 1:
      "These things are certainly very annoying," said Belinda. "I've often experienced similar affairs. But, in my case, no doubt they were explainable. My tongue does run away with me sometimes," she concluded, with an engaging smile. I laughed. Belinda and her friends and coolnesses were a standing joke.
    • 1949, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 1, in The Mating Season, page 5:
      'Yes, sir. He expressed annoyance at the change of plan. Indeed, I gathered from his remarks, for he was kind enough to confide in me, that there has resulted a certain coolness between himself and Miss Bassett.' 'Gosh!' I said. […] So, knowing my view regarding this Bassett, M., you will readily understand why this stuff about coolnesses drew a startled 'Gosh!' from me.
  4. Indifference or an instance of indifference; lack of friendliness or interest not necessarily rising to hostility.
    • 2016, Kathryn Furlong, “ASD and the Goal of Efficiency” (chapter 6), in Leaky Governance: Alternative Service Delivery and the Myth of Water Utility Independence, page 123:
      A regulatory backstop would still be needed, however, because the problem can cut both ways – that is, the utility can also exhibit coolness toward aspects of water conservation. In Kingston, members of [the] local council felt that they lacked sufficient influence over the utility (a municipal corportation) to advance a conservation agenda. At the same time, utility staff had difficulty harmonizing water rates due to council resistance (see Chapter 4).
  5. (often slang) Social advantage or enviability, typically due to traits like popularity, confidence, skill, or fashion.
    • 2014, Susanne Hamscha, “Coolness Has A Number: The 'Americana Cool' of Beverly Hills, 90210”, in Astrid M. Fellner, Susanne Hamscha, Klaus Heissenberger, Jennifer J* Moos, editors, Is It 'Cause It's Cool? Affective Encounters with American Culture, Americana Cool: The Cool of 90210, page 106:
      When I argue that Beverly Hills, 90210 makes use of 'An Americana Cool,' then I mean to propose that the show makes use of a wide variety of culturally codified coolness(es) that is/are anchored in a mainstream American symbology, in an Americana of patterned American styles, gestures, and codes.

Translations

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Anagrams

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