chill

[chil] /tʃɪl/
noun
1.
coldness, especially a moderate but uncomfortably penetrating coldness:
the chill of evening.
2.
a sensation of cold, usually with shivering:
She felt a slight chill from the open window.
3.
a feeling of sudden fear, anxiety, or alarm.
4.
sudden coldness of the body, as during the cold stage of an ague:
fevers and chills.
5.
a depressing influence or sensation:
His presence cast a chill over everyone.
6.
lack of warmth of feeling; unfriendliness; coolness.
7.
Foundry. an inserted object or a surface in a mold capable of absorbing large amounts of heat, used to harden the surface of a casting or to increase its rate of solidification at a specific point.
8.
bloom1 (def 12).
adjective
9.
moderately cold; tending to cause shivering; chilly:
a chill wind.
10.
shivering with or affected by cold; chilly.
11.
depressing or discouraging:
chill prospects.
12.
Slang. cool (def 14).
13.
unduly formal; unfriendly; chilly:
a chill reception.
verb (used without object)
14.
to become cold:
The earth chills when the sun sets.
15.
to be seized with a chill; shiver with cold or fear.
16.
Foundry. (of a casting) to become hard on the surface by contact with a chill or chills.
verb (used with object)
17.
to affect with cold; make chilly:
The rain has chilled me to the bone.
18.
to make cool:
Chill the wine before serving.
19.
to depress; discourage; deter:
The news chilled his hopes.
20.
Foundry. to harden the surface of (a casting) by casting it in a mold having a chill or chills.
21.
bloom1 (def 22).
22.
Slang. to kill; murder.
Verb phrases
23.
chill out, Slang. to calm down; relax.
Also, chill.
Idioms
24.
Take a chill pill!, Disparaging Slang. chill pill (def 2).
Origin
before 900; Middle English chile, Old English ci(e)le, cele coolness; akin to gelid, cool, cold
Related forms
chillingly, adverb
chillness, noun
overchill, adjective
overchill, verb
prechill, verb (used with object)
unchilled, adjective
well-chilled, adjective
Synonyms
9. See cold. 13. cold, aloof, hostile, stiff.
Examples from the web for chill
  • When it's cold outside, modern humans don a sweater to ward off the chill.
  • Tackling a lifelong aversion to cold weather, our author bravely embraces the big chill.
  • These suits chill protected speech and discourage robust debate.
  • Remove from the stove and serve warm or chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.
  • And the chill of failure inhabited the place, visible in the cold eyes of the owners.
  • The halls are decked in red and green, and there's a winter chill in the air.
  • There's a chill in the air, the kids are back to school, and you're packing up your summer clothes.
  • It was indeed a dark and stormy night, the mist blowing over the mountain ridge to chill us.
  • Now a frigid chill is sweeping the expert-network industry.
  • chill out and shed typical western ethnocentrism and you will enjoy it here.
British Dictionary definitions for chill

chill

/tʃɪl/
noun
1.
a moderate coldness
2.
a sensation of coldness resulting from a cold or damp environment, or from a sudden emotional reaction
3.
a feverish cold
4.
a check on enthusiasm or joy
5.
a metal plate placed in a sand mould to accelerate cooling and control local grain growth
6.
another name for bloom1 (sense 9)
adjective
7.
another word for chilly
verb
8.
to make or become cold
9.
(transitive) to cool or freeze (food, drinks, etc)
10.
(transitive)
  1. to depress (enthusiasm, etc)
  2. to discourage
11.
(transitive) to cool (a casting or metal object) rapidly in order to prevent the formation of large grains in the metal
12.
(intransitive) (slang, mainly US) to relax; calm oneself
See also chill out
Derived Forms
chilling, adjective
chillingly, adverb
chillness, noun
Word Origin
Old English ciele; related to calan to cool, Latin gelidus icy
Word Origin and History for chill
n.

Old English ciele, cele "cold, coolness, chill, frost," from Proto-Germanic *kal- "to be cold," from PIE root *gel- "cold" (see cold). According to OED, the word seems to have been obsolete after c.1400 (displaced by cold) and the modern use is a back-formation since c.1600 from the verb.

v.

late 14c., intransitive, "to feel cold, grow cold;" c.1400, transitive, "to make cold," from chill (n.). Related: Chilled; chilling; chillingly. Figurative use from late 14c. Meaning "hang out" first recorded 1985; from earlier chill out "relax" (1979).

Sheila E. sizzles in the new flick, Krush Groove, but some New York critics couldn't groove with it because many of the terms are unfamiliar to them. Examples: breakin' out (slang for leaving), chill (for cool down) and death (for something that's really good). ["Jet," Nov. 11, 1985]

chill in Medicine

chill (chĭl)
n.
A feeling of cold, with shivering and pallor, sometimes accompanied by an elevation of temperature in the interior of the body.

Slang definitions & phrases for chill

chill

adjective

(also chilled) Excellent; wonderful; cool, fresh, rad: A ''chill'' outfit for a girl is tight Sergio Valente or Tale Lord jeans/ The top accolades (in 1986) include cool, chill or chilly, although froody and hondo also get high marks (1980s+ Teenagers)

noun

A glass or can of beer (1960s+ Students)

verb
  1. To render someone unconscious; KNOCK someone OUT: She chilled him with a kick on the chin (1930s+ Boxing)
  2. To kill; murder: Remember the night Stein got chilled out front? (1930s+)
  3. To quench enthusiasm and amiability abruptly; snub: He chilled me with a glance (1920s+)
  4. chill out: As my daughter often tells me, I need to learn how to ''chill'' (1970s+ Students)
  5. To stay or become calm; relax; cool it, kick back •Often a command or exhortation (1980s+ Students)
Related Terms

put the chill on someone


chill in Technology


CCITT HIgh-Level Language