cold spell
1
3.5
- noun
- /koʊld spɛl/
- UK
:
ola de frío
- In weather, the city remains in the grip of a cold spell.
- heat waves and cold spell
- waves and cold spell
And So what we see if we look at history is that the cold spells in global climate have always been far worse than warm spells.
- And So what we see if we look at history is that the cold spells in global climate have always been far worse than warm spells.
Examples
-
"It was a nice, sunny day in January after we had experienced a terrible, cold spell that had lasted since December 26, 1946," recalls retired ARS scientist Owen Hugh Graham of Mission, Texas.
Academic text (1996) -
This is a record cold spell.
Fiction book (1991) -
That cold spell still grips the Northeast.
-
I panicked a few weeks ago during a cold spell and washed our exterior windows.
Blog text (16) -
I do hope we won't have any unseasonable cold spells.
-
The baby came along in late November during a severe cold spell that just happened to coincide with the peak of the waterfowl season in that part of the country.
Fiction book (1999) -
Many farmers are worried about the effects of the cold spell on their crops this season.
-
During the cold spell, temperatures dropped to below freezing across the region.
-
Residents are advised to prepare for a sudden cold spell arriving this weekend.
Synonyms
44
1.4
A time when it is cold enough for water to turn to ice
25
1.0
A period when the air is much colder than usual
6
3.2
A short sudden time of very cold weather that is colder than usual
Antonyms
How Cold
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'cold' describes the effect and 'spell' denotes a magical incantation, so together they mean a spell that produces cold. This modifier+noun pattern is straightforward and common in fantasy vocabulary and in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Cold spell comes from weather talk where spell means a 'short period of time'. It paints a simple picture of a short time of cold, so it means 'a period of unusually cold weather'.