Etymologically
Log in

icicle

Etymology and origin of the English word icicle

History Permalink

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈaɪ.sɪ.kl̩/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English isikel, a compound of is “ice” and ikel “icicle”,[2][3][4][5][6] the latter inherited from Old English ġicel (“icicle, ice”),[2][3][4][5][6] from Proto-Germanic *jekilaz,[3][4] related to Old High German ihilla (“icicle”) and Old Norse jǫkull (“icicle; glacier”),[3][4][5][6] from the Proto-Indo-European root *yeg- “ice”.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A hanging spike of ice formed by dripping water (c. 1000).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The second element ikel lost its independent meaning,[4] though dialect ickle “icicle” survived into the 20th century.[4][6] Popular etymology took it for a diminutive ending like that of article and produced forms such as ice-sickle and ice-shackle.[4] The word was applied to stalactites (1644) and needle-shaped crystals (1704),[7] and figuratively to a cold, unemotional person.[2][5][6] It also names the thin strips of foil hung on Christmas trees.[5][6]

Timeline

  • c. 1000 – Old English īsgicel.[7][3]
  • before 1325 – Middle English hyysykil.[3]
  • 1644 – a stalactite.[7]
  • 1704 – a needle-shaped crystal.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A hanging, tapering spike of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water.
  2. A cold, aloof or unemotional person.
  3. A thin strip of shiny foil or plastic used to decorate a Christmas tree.

Word family

  • icicled
  • ice
  • glacier
  • stalactite

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Icicle.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/icicle. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·