coldness

The relative lack of heat.

Noun

  1. The relative lack of heat.
  2. The sensation resulting from exposure to low temperatures.
  3. Limited enthusiasm or affection; coolness.

    Synonyms: frost

  4. The reciprocal of absolute temperature.
    • The coldness is the reciprocal of absolute temperature. - 1969, W. A. Day, Morton E. Gurtin, Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis, volume 33, number 1, Springer, pages 26–32:
    • (article title) The coldness, a universal function in thermoelastic bodies. - 1971, Ingo Müller, Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis, volume 41, number 5, Springer, pages 319–332:
    • This function will be called the coldness, its equilibrium value will be the reciprocal of absolute temperature. - 1972, Ingo Müller, Entropy, Absolute Temperature, and Coldness in Thermodynamics: Boundary Conditions in...

Origin

From Middle English coldnesse, from Old English cealdness, cealdnys (“coldness”), from Proto-West Germanic *kaldanassī (“coldness”), equivalent to cold + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian kâldens (“coldness”), Middle Low German koldenisse, kōldenisse (“coldness”), Middle High German kaltnisse, keltnisse (“coldness”).

Forms

coldnesses