Frigorous
/ˈfrɪɡərəs/noun
Extremely cold or characterized by intense cold.
Did you know?Frigorous belongs to the same Latin word-family that produced frigid and refrigerate, preserving an ancient metaphor in which emotional distance could feel physically cold.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sreg-
“To become cold or freeze; the reconstructed root associated with Latin cold-words.”
Classical Latin
Latin
frigus
“Cold, chill, or cold weather.”
Classical Latin
Latin
frigor
“Coldness or intense cold.”
Late Latin
Latin
frigorosus
“Cold, chilly, or full of cold.”
17th Century
English
frigorous
“Very cold; characterized by severe cold.”
Modern English
English
frigorous
“Extremely cold, chiefly in rare or technical usage.”
Explore more surprising origins