comfort zone
1
4.3
- noun
- Specialized
:
zona de confort térmico
- To avoid overheating, it is crucial to stay within your comfort zone, particularly when exposed to high temperatures.
Examples
-
During the summer months, people tend to seek environments that maintain a pleasant comfort zone around 28 degrees Celsius.
-
The scientists measured the animal's ability to survive within its climatic comfort zone of 28 to 30 degrees Celsius.
-
Babies are especially sensitive to temperatures outside their comfort zone.
-
Engineers design climate control systems to keep buildings within the comfort zone for occupants.
-
Most laboratories maintain a comfort zone to ensure accurate results in physiological studies.
-
The ideal comfort zone for humans is between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius.
-
When the room temperature is outside the comfort zone, we start to feel uncomfortable.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a situation where a person feels at ease' is directly and compositionally derived from 'comfort' (ease) + 'zone' (a region or area); the compound names a region characterized by comfort. This is a common, cross-linguistic conceptual metaphor (e.g. Spanish 'zona de confort'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will very likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Comfort zone comes from a simple physical idea: a small temperature zone around your body where you feel comfort and do not shiver or sweat. That's why it means 'the temperature range where your body feels comfortable'.