Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

frigidity en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

From Middle English frigiditee, frigidite, a borrowing from Middle French frigidité, itself a borrowing from Latin frīgiditātem, accusative of Latin frīgiditās.

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) The state of being frigid; coldness; lack of heat.
  2. (countable, uncountable) Coldness of feeling, manner or quality; lack of ardor, animation or vivacity.
  3. (countable, uncountable) Lack of natural heat and vigor of body; impotency.
    • It cannot be denied it [the chameleon] is (if not the moſt of any) a very abſtemious animall, and ſuch as by reaſon of its frigidity, paucity of bloud, and latitancy in the winter (about which time the obſervations are often made) will long ſubſist without a viſible ſuſtentation. 1650, Thomas Browne, “Of the Cameleon”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 3rd book, page 133:
  4. (countable, uncountable) Lack of or low sex drive; a persistent inability to become aroused or achieve sexual satisfaction.
    • An epileptic lover may (slightly) experience […] sporadic impotence/frigidity. 1983 February 12, John Zeh, “Epilepsy”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 29, page 4:
    • In France, Mme. de Pompadour was induced by Louis XV to eat such testicles in order to break down her frigidity. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 232:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
frigidities Number=Plur lexicographic

Synonyms

iciness · coldness · dullness · chilliness

Translations (5)

tr soğukluk (the state of being frigid) · la frīgiditās (the state of being frigid) · it frigidità (the state of being frigid) · de Frigidität (the state of being frigid) · ota صوغوقلق (the state of being frigid)