icily

English

WOTD – 21 August 2010

Etymology

From icy +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaɪ.sɪ.li/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adverb

icily (comparative more icily, superlative most icily)

1. In the manner of ice; with a cold or chilling effect.
   • 1971, Alan Sillitoe, Travels in Nihilon, page 76:

     The cold Alpine air flowed icily into his car, so he stopped by the roadside to put on a leather trench-coat, thick scarf, and woollen hat […]

2. (figuratively) In an uncaring manner.
   • 1943, M. F. K. Fisher, "To Feed Such Hunger", The Gastronomical Me

     […] quite often her husband and Jo did not eat at home, or sat icily silent through a meal.

Synonyms

• (in the manner of ice): coldly
• (in an uncaring manner): aloofly, coldly

Related terms

• ice
• iciness
• icy

Translations

in the manner of ice

• Armenian: սառնորեն (hy) (saṙnoren)
• Finnish: jäätävästi (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Serbo-Croatian: ledeno (sh)

in an uncaring manner

• Armenian: սառնորեն (hy) (saṙnoren), սառնությամբ (saṙnutʻyamb)
• Finnish: jäätävästi (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: хо́лодно (ru) (xólodno), безучастно (ru) (bezučastno), недружелюбно (ru) (nedruželjubno)
• Serbo-Croatian: hladno (sh)

References

• “icily”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “icily”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.