English → Latin
“cold” in Latin
frīguscold, coldness, coolness, chilliness; the cold of winter; winter; frost; the coldness of death; deathalgorcold, chilliness; cold weathergelū̆frost; cold, chillgravēdōcold in the head; catarrhdēstīllātiōdripping down; distilling; rheum, catarrhfrīgiduscold, cool, chilling, frigid; indifferent, feeble; dull, flat, insipid, trivial, pointless, vainalgeōto be or feel cold or chilly; to become cold or chilly; to be neglected (left in the cold)algiduscold (i.e., so cold as to be uncomfortable)gelidusice-cold, icy, frosty; chillingēgelidusthawed, unchilled; lukewarm, tepid
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
cold s.
frigus (the cold, as causing frost, etc.: also figuratively, as the coldness of indiffirence, want of sensibility, etc.): algor (the cold, as felt; the obsolete algus is the cold itself): gelu (only in ablative; the cold which causes ice, etc.). “Extreme cold may be translated by vis frigoris; vis hiemalis: frigora, n. plur. (with the accessory notion of duration). To be able to endure cold, algoris patientem esse: to be unable to endure either extreme heat or extreme cold, neque frigora neque aestus tolerare posse: to be stiff or benumbed with cold gelu torpere. OBS., frigdo (Varr., ap. Non.) is “the state of a man attacked by cold,” Döderlein’s Synonyms.
An illness, gravedo (κόρυζα, haec nares claudit, vocem obtundit, tussim siccam movet. etc., Cels..): destillatio narium, or destillatio only (cum, “tenuis per has [nares] pituita profluit, caput leviter dolet, gravitas ejus sentitur, frequentia sternumenta sunt.” Cels..): to catch cold, frigus colligere (Hor..): to cure or get rid of a cold, gravedinem removere (Cic.): to doctor or treat a cold, gravedini; subvenire (Cic..): a troublesome cold, gravedo molesta: I hare a cold, nares gravedine vexantur: to give anybody cold, gravedinem concitare or afferre: apt to take cold, or (of things) apt to give cold, gravedinosus.
cold adj.
frigidus (of a moderate degree of coldness, opposed to calidus; also figuratively, as without fire, inanimate. etc.): algens, algidus (of what is unpleasantly cold in itself, of a cold nature; algens also of what does not keep a man warm, e.g., toga algens): gelidus (icy cold, also figuratively in the poets): egelidus (with the chill taken off; in later writers = “very cold”): languidus, lentus (figuratively, without fire or animation; less strong than frigidus; e.g., orator nimis lentus in dicendo et paene frigidus, Cic.). Very cold, perfrigidus: cold water, aqua frigida: a cold draught, potus algens: frigida (sc. potio, “a refreshing draught”). Cold cup (of bread, wine, and beer), intrita (panis) e vino or e cerevisia (☞ Plin.., 9, 8, 9; Cels., 3, 19). A cold wind, ventus frigidus: cold or very cold weather, tempestas frigida, perfrigida: the weather is becoming cold, frigus ingruit (but not frigescit tempestas): it is growing colder, *frigus ingravescit: a cold winter, hiems frigida: a cold shudder shakes my limbs, gelidus horror mihi quatit membra (Verg.): to bathe in cold water, frigida (scilicet, aqua) lavari: to drink cold water, frigidam (scilicet, aquam) bibere: a man of a cold nature or character, homo frigidus: to do anything in cold blood, consulto et cogitatum facere aliquid: cold praise, *laus frigida: to give anybody cold praise, aliquem frigide laudare: to become or grow old, frigescere, refrigescere, refrigerare (PROP. and figuratively, of both men and things): to make cold, refrigerare (also figuratively). To be cold, frigere (fo be cold, opposed to calere): algere (to feel cold, opposed to aestuare).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for cold?
- The usual Latin words for “cold” are frīgus, algor, gelū̆; also gravēdō, dēstīllātiō, frīgidus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.