chill

C1 Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /tʃəl/ UK /tʃɪl/ See IPA manual

Freq #3178

Meanings

1

noun
An unpleasant feeling of cold.

There was a chill in the air as the sun went down.
2

noun
A sudden cold feeling in the body, often a sign of illness.

Close the window or you'll catch a chill.
3

noun
A sudden feeling of fear or dread.

Despite the heat, he felt a chill as he entered the crime scene.
4

noun
A lack of friendliness or warmth between people.

There was a clear chill between the two leaders after the dispute.
5

verb
To make someone feel discouraged or afraid.

The news of the city's surrender chilled the soldiers.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms chillestchillnesschills

Derived forms achillbechillblood-chillingchilblainchill-outchillablechillaxchilled chiller chilliness chillingchillish

Etymology

From Middle English chele, chile, from Old English ċiele, ċele (“cold; coldness”), from Proto-West Germanic *kali, from Proto-Germanic *kaliz, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to be cold”). Closely related with Dutch kil. Also akin to cool, cold, gel, and congeal, which see.

*gel- Proto-Indo-European chele Middle English ċiele Old English *kali Proto-West Germanic *kaliz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

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# chill

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /tʃəl/
**IPA (UK):** /tʃɪl/
**Frequency rank:** 3178

## Meanings
1. An unpleasant feeling of cold.
2. A sudden cold feeling in the body, often a sign of illness.
3. A sudden feeling of fear or dread.
4. A lack of friendliness or warmth between people.
5. To make someone feel discouraged or afraid.

## Examples
- There was a chill in the air as the sun went down.
- Close the window or you'll catch a chill.
- Despite the heat, he felt a chill as he entered the crime scene.
- There was a clear chill between the two leaders after the dispute.
- The news of the city's surrender chilled the soldiers.

## Derived Forms
- achill
- bechill
- blood-chilling
- chilblain
- chill-out
- chillable
- chillax
- chilled
- chiller
- chilliness
- chilling
- chillish

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *gel-
- Root: chele
- Root: ċiele
- Root: *kali
- Root: *kaliz

## Etymology
From Middle English chele, chile, from Old English ċiele, ċele (“cold; coldness”), from Proto-West Germanic *kali, from Proto-Germanic *kaliz, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to be cold”). Closely related with Dutch kil. Also akin to cool, cold, gel, and congeal, which see.

## AI Etymology
Chill is from Middle English chele, chile, from Old English ċiele, ċele (“cold; coldness”), from Proto-West Germanic *kali, from Proto-Germanic *kaliz, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to be cold”). Closely related with Dutch kil. Also akin to cool, cold, gel, and congeal, which see. In present-day use, it can mean an unpleasant feeling of cold, or a sudden cold feeling in the body, often a sign of illness. Derived formations include achill, bechill, blood-chilling, chilblain, chill-out.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings

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chill

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