chill

 
Pronunciation: /tʃɪl/

noun

  • 1an unpleasant feeling of coldness in the atmosphere, one’s surroundings, or the body: there was a chill in the air the draughty chill of the castle heat exhaustion symptoms include nausea, chills, dizziness and dehydration
  • a feverish cold: we had better return before you catch a chill he was confined to bed with a severe chill
  • a coldness of manner: the chill in relations between France and its former colony
  • a depressing influence: his statements have cast a chill over this whole country
  • a sudden and powerful feeling of fear: a chill ran down my spine
  • 2a metal mould, often cooled, designed to ensure rapid or even cooling of metal during casting.

verb

[with object]
  • 1make (someone) cold: they were chilled by a sudden wind
  • cool (food or drink) in a refrigerator: (as adjective chilled) chilled white wine
  • Metallurgyanother term for chill-cast.
  • 2horrify or frighten (someone): the city was chilled by the violence (as adjective chilling) a chilling account of the prisoners' fate
  • 3 [no object] (usually chill out) informal calm down and relax: they like to get home, have a bath, and chill out
  • pass time idly with other people: she always seems to be just chilling with friends

adjective

  • chilly: the chill grey dawn figurative the chill winds of public censure

Phrases

chill someone's blood

horrify or terrify someone: the screams coming from the house had chilled his blood

take the chill off

warm slightly: an electric heater took the chill off the house

Derivatives

chillingly

adverb

chillness

noun

chillsome

adjective ( literary)

Origin:

Old English cele, ciele 'cold, coldness', of Germanic origin; related to cold