lukewarm

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌluːkˈwɔːm/ (UK); /ˌlukˈwɔɹm/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English lukewarme,^[2] a compound of warm and Middle English luke “tepid”,^[3][4][5][6] a word of uncertain origin.^[6][5] It may be a variant of lew “tepid”, from Old English hlēow,^[3][5][2] and Merriam-Webster relates it to Old High German lāo “lukewarm”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Moderately warm, tepid (late 14th century; 1373 in Barnhart).^[5][6][7]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, of people and their actions lacking zeal or enthusiasm, is recorded from the 1520s.^[6][7] English once used lukewarm as a noun for an unenthusiastic person (1693) and as a verb (1592).^[7]

Timeline

• 1373 – luke warm, tepid.^[5]
• about 1522 – lacking zeal or enthusiasm.^[7][6]
• 1592 – verb, to make lukewarm.^[7]
• 1693 – noun, an unenthusiastic person.^[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Mildly warm; tepid.
2. Lacking conviction or enthusiasm; half-hearted.

Word family

• lukewarmly
• lukewarmness

Related words

• lee
• tepid

Usage notes

Random House lists half-hearted, cool and apathetic as synonyms of the figurative sense.^[2]

References

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