icicle

noun

ici·​cle ˈī-ˌsi-kəl 

1

: a pendent mass of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water

2

: an emotionally cold person

3

: a long narrow strip (as of foil) used to decorate a Christmas tree

Did you know?

Old English gicel, meaning icicle, became Middle English ikyl or ikel and later modern English ickle, which survives as a dialect word in Yorkshire, England. The word for ice in Old English is is, and in a manuscript of about the year 1000 we find Latin stiria, “icicle,” glossed, somewhat redundantly, as ises gicel, that is, “an icicle of ice.” Some 300 years later, in Middle English, this became the compound known today as icicle, which means precisely what it did 1000 years ago.

Synonyms

• cold fish
• cold turkey
• iceberg

Examples of icicle in a Sentence

his wife is such an icicle you're lucky to get so much as a greeting from her

Recent Examples on the Web

No drool icicles hanging from his mouth and his body shook with excitement. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025

On the way to the suspension bridge, about a 15-minute walk, see giant icicles along the cliff sides and the frozen top of the Montmorency River, their stillness stark against the roaring rush of the waterfall. —Vjosa Isai, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Available in crystal-clear, white, and gold, each is 5 inches long, modeled after natural icicles, and ready to hang. —Miles Walls, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Additionally, the Moore Cove Falls Trail leads to a calm waterfall that often forms sparkling icicles in the cold months. —Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English isikel, from is ice + ikel icicle, from Old English gicel; akin to Old High German ihilla icicle, Middle Irish aig ice

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

icicle

noun

ici·​cle ˈī-ˌsik-əl 

: a hanging mass of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water