frosty

See also: Frosty

English

Etymology

From Middle English frosty, forsty, from Old English forstiġ, fyrstiġ (“frosty”), from Proto-West Germanic *frostag, *frustīg, equivalent to frost +‎ -y. Cognate with West Frisian froastich (“frosty”), Dutch vorstig (“frosty”), German Low German fröstig (“frosty”), German frostig (“frosty”), Swedish frostig (“frosty”). Compare also Saterland Frisian froasterch (“frosty”), German Low German frösterg (“frosty”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒsti

Adjective

frosty (comparative frostier, superlative frostiest)

1. Cold, chilly.

   The air was frosty; I could see my breath and walked quickly with my hands in my pockets.

   I'd like a frosty milkshake.

2. Having frost on it.

   The frosty pumpkin is the sign of the end of the growing season, soon the greenery will wither and harvest end for the year.

3. (figurative) Having an aloof or inhospitable manner.

   After the divorce, she was civil but frosty to her ex.

Derived terms

• frostily
• frostiness
• frosty one
• stay frosty
• that'll be the frosty Friday

 

Translations

cold, chilly

• Azerbaijani: ayaz (az)
• Bulgarian: мразовит (bg) (mrazovit)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 酷寒的 (zh) (kù hán de)

• Czech: mrazivý (cs)
• Dutch: vorstig (nl)
• Finnish: jäätävä (fi), jääkylmä (fi)
• French: froid (fr), gelé (fr), givré (fr), glacial (fr)
• Galician: xeadento, xélido (gl)
• German: frostig (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: παχνώδης (pakhnṓdēs)

• Ido: koldeta (io)
• Italian: gelido (it), ghiacciato (it), gelato (it)
• Middle English: frosty
• Plautdietsch: frostich
• Polish: mroźny (pl)
• Portuguese: gélido (pt)
• Russian: моро́зный (ru) (moróznyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: reòta
• Welsh: rhewllyd (cy)

having frost on it

• Bulgarian: заскрежен (zaskrežen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 被霜覆盖的 (bèi shuāng fù gài de)

• Finnish: huurteinen (fi)
• French: givré (fr), gelé (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient: παχνώδης (pakhnṓdēs)

• Italian: coperto di ghiaccio
• Latin: pruīnōsus
• Maori: hauhunga
• Plautdietsch: frostich
• Polish: oszroniony
• Portuguese: geado
• Scottish Gaelic: reòta

having an aloof or inhospitable manner

• Arabic: بارد‎
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 冷漠的 (zh) (lěng mò)

• Finnish: jäätävä (fi)
• French: froid (fr), glacial (fr)
• Polish: lodowaty (pl)

Middle English

Alternative forms

• forsty, frosti

Etymology

From Old English forstiġ, from Proto-West Germanic *frostag, equivalent to frost +‎ -y. Compare Old English fyrstiġ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfrɔstiː/, /ˈfɔrstiː/

Adjective

frosty

1. cold, freezing, frosty (being or experiencing cold)
2. (rare) white (of a beard)

Descendants

• English: frosty
• Scots: frosty

References

• “frostī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-02.