icicle

Meaning

A drooping, tapering shape of ice.

Synonyms

ice

🧊

crystal

cut glass

hoarfrost

ice cube

🧊

rime

aloofness

snow

❄️

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈʌɪsəkəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: isykle

Inherited from Old English: īsġicel

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Iesjuukel

Cognate with Danish: jisegel

Cognate with Norwegian: isjukel

Cognate with Elfdalian: aisikkel

In summary

From Middle English isykle, isikel, from Old English īsġicel, from Proto-West Germanic *īsajikil, *īsajekul, equivalent to ice + ickle. It was assimilated to nouns in -icle, from Latin -iculus—the expected spelling would have -ickle. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Iesjuukel (“icicle”), German Low German Iesjökel, dialectal Danish jisegel (“icicle”), Norwegian isjukel (“icicle”) and Elfdalian aisikkel.