warm

English Online Dictionary. What means warm‎? What does warm mean?

English

Alternative forms

• warme (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /wɔːm/
• (US) IPA^(key): /wɔɹm/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)m

Etymology 1

From Middle English warm, werm, from Old English wearm, from Proto-West Germanic *warm, from Proto-Germanic *warmaz, with different proposed origins:

1. Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰer- (“warm, hot”), related to Ancient Greek θερμός (thermós), Latin formus, Sanskrit घर्म (gharma).
2. Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to burn”), related to Hittite [script needed] (warnuzi) and to Old Church Slavonic варити (variti).

The dispute is due to differing opinions on how initial Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰ- evolved in Germanic: some think that *gʷʰ would have turned to *b, and that the root *gʷʰer- would instead have given rise to burn etc. Some have also proposed a merger of the two roots.

Adjective

warm (comparative warmer, superlative warmest)

1. Of a somewhat high temperature.
2. Friendly and with affection.

3. Having a color in the part of the visible electromagnetic spectrum between red and yellow-green.
4. (informal) Close to a goal or correct answer.
5. Fresh, of a scent; still able to be traced.
6. (figurative) Communicating a sense of comfort, ease, or pleasantness.

7. (archaic) Ardent, zealous.
8. (archaic, informal) Well off as to property, or in good circumstances; prosperous.
9. (archaic) Requiring arduous effort.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:warm
• See also Thesaurus:affectionate
• See also Thesaurus:difficult

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "mild temperature"): Arctic, cold, cool, frozen
• (antonym(s) of "caring"): Arctic, cold, cool, frozen

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• heated
• hot
• steamy
• temperature
• tepid

Etymology 2

From Old English wierman.

Verb

warm (third-person singular simple present warms, present participle warming, simple past and past participle warmed)

1. (transitive) To make or keep warm.
2. (intransitive) To become warm, to heat up.

   The earth soon warms on a clear summer day.

3. (transitive with to) (sometimes in the form warm up) To favour increasingly.

4. (ditransitive with to) To cause (someone) to favour (something) increasingly.
5. (intransitive) To become ardent or animated.

   The speaker warms as he proceeds.

6. (transitive) To make engaged or earnest; to interest; to engage; to excite ardor or zeal in; to enliven.
   • 1717 November 20, Alexander Pope, letter to the Bishop of Rochester

     there was a collection of all that had been written […] : I warmed my head with them.
7. (transitive) To give emotional warmth to a person.
8. (transitive, colloquial) To beat or spank.
9. (transitive, colloquial) To scold or abuse verbally.
10. (computing, transitive) To prepopulate (a cache) so that its contents are ready for other users.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

warm (plural warms)

1. (colloquial) The act of warming, or the state of being warmed; a heating.

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch warm, from Middle Dutch warm, from Old Dutch warm, from Proto-Germanic *warmaz.

Pronunciation

Adjective

warm (attributive warmer, comparative warmste, superlative warmste)

1. warm

Alemannic German

Alternative forms

• woare, woarm, wore, wérme

Etymology

From Middle High German warm, from Old High German warm. Cognate with German warm, Dutch warm, English warm, Icelandic varmur.

Adjective

warm

1. (Formazza) warm

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Chinese

Etymology

From English warm.

Pronunciation

Adjective

warm

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, of person, environment, family) warm (caring and loving)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch warm, from Old Dutch warm, from Proto-West Germanic *warm, from Proto-Germanic *warmaz, of uncertain origin; derivations from either Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰer- (“warm, hot”) or *wer- (“to burn”) have been proposed.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋɑr(ə)m/
• Hyphenation: warm
• Rhymes: -ɑrm
• Homophone: Warm

Adjective

warm (comparative warmer, superlative warmst)

1. warm, hot

   Antonym: koud

2. (meteorology, officially) 20 °C or more

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: warm
• Berbice Creole Dutch: warum
• Negerhollands: warm, werm

See also

• tropisch
• zomers

German

Etymology

From Middle High German and Old High German warm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /varm/, [vaʁm], [vaɐ̯m], [vaːm], [ʋ-]

Adjective

warm (strong nominative masculine singular warmer, comparative wärmer, superlative am wärmsten)

1. warm; mildly hot

   Antonyms: kalt, kühl

2. (of clothes) warm; keeping the wearer warm
3. (of rental prices, chiefly adverbial or in compounds) including heating costs, water, and fees (electricity may or may not be included)

4. (dated, except in warmer Bruder) gay, homosexual (mostly male)

   Synonym: schwul

Usage notes

• German warm means “warm”, but not “feeling warm”; therefore the phrase ich bin warm (literally “I am warm”) would mean that one’s body has a high temperature, particularly that one’s skin is warm on the outside. The English “I am warm” (that is: I feel warm) is equivalent to German mir ist warm (literally “to me it's warm”).
• Although warm (“gay”) is not in general use, this sense is current enough to make it advisable not to describe the relation between two men as warm (unless the implication is intended).

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “warm” in Duden online
• “warm” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch warm, from Proto-West Germanic *warm.

Adjective

warm

1. warm, hot
2. warm, keeping the wearer warm (of clothes)
3. warm (of emotions)

Inflection

Alternative forms

• wāerm
• werm

Descendants

• Dutch: warm
  • Afrikaans: warm
• Limburgish: werm
• West Flemish: werm

Further reading

• “warm”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “warm”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Alternative forms

• warme, werm, wearm

Etymology

From Old English wearm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /warm/, /wɛrm/

Adjective

warm (plural and weak singular warme, comparative warmer, superlative warmest)

1. (temperature) warm, mildly hot
2. (weather) warm, pleasant, mild
3. heated, warmed
4. (locations or garments) having a tendency to be warm; designed to stay warm
5. Being at a healthy temperature
6. enthusiastic, vigourous

Descendants

• Scots: wairm
• English: warm

References

• “warm, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-26.

Noun

warm

1. warmness, heat

References

• “warm, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-26.

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *warm.

Adjective

warm

1. warm

Derived terms

• warmī

Descendants

• Middle High German: warm
  • Alemannic German: warm
    • Italian Walser: warm, woare, woarm, wore, wérme
  • Bavarian: borm
    • Cimbrian: barm
    • Mòcheno: bòrm
    • Udinese: borm, borbm, boarm
    • Viennese: wårm
  • Central Franconian: wärm, warm
    • Hunsrik: waarem
  • German: warm
  • Luxembourgish: waarm
  • Yiddish: וואַרעם (varem)

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *warm (“warm”).

Adjective

warm (comparative warmoro, superlative warmost)

1. warm

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: warm
  • Low German: warm
  • German Low German: warm