icicle

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“
Gertrude blazed up, cold as an icicle ---- "

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun A tapering spike of ice formed by the freezing of dripping or falling water.
  2. noun Informal An aloof or emotionally unresponsive person.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (2)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • At the wide end of each icicle was a ten-meter-radius sphere, which housed the habitable parts of the starship. —  AnalogSFF,July-August2007
  • Cold weather pansies like icicle, second season and sub-zero will make it through even the coldest winters.
  • Guest angel van the icicle is gorgeous. i may have to get that myself. —  Weddingbee
  • Created in 2003 by Jean Claude Ellena and as sharp and clear as an icicle, D'Hiver is listed as having notes of heliotrope, iris and honey (according to Barney's). —  Perfume-Smellin' Things Perfume Blog
  • Here an icicle is a bicycle with runners instead of wheels But what makes it go?" —  Andiron Tales
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English isikel : is, ice; see ice + ikel, icicle (from Old English gicel; see yeg- in Indo-European roots).

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English also isicle, etc.; from Middle English iseickle, isikel, isykle, ysekel, iseyokel, isechel, iiseikkle, hysehykylle, etc., from Anglo-Saxon īs-gicel (Leo) also īses (genitive) gicel (giccl), icicle, from īs, ice, + gicel, modern English dial, ickle, an icicle: see ickle. The word is thus a compound of ice + ickle. The latter element came to lose its independent meaning, and has suffered under popular etymology; explained in books as a mere diminutive termination -icle, as in article, particle, etc., it appears transformed in the obsolete or dial. forms ice-sickle, ise-sickle, ice-shackle, ice-shoggle, OSc. iceshogle, icechokill, etc.; = Low German isjäkel, ishekel, icicle. Cf. Middle Dutch ijskekel, Dutch ijskegel (Norwegian iskegle), and simply Middle Dutch kekel, keghel, D, kegel, icicle, merged in Middle Dutch keghel, Dutch kegel = German kegel, a cone, ninepin, = Danish kegle, skittle: see kail, keel.. The English dial, ice-candle, icicle, is an independent formation; so Middle Dutch ijsdroppe, ijsdroppel, ‘ice-drop,’ G. eiszapfen = Danish istap, ‘ice-peg’ (see tap), etc.
 

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/ˈaɪsɪkl/
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