cooler English · revision 10797

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1575|origins=en cool}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈkuː.lə/, US /ˈkuː.lɚ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is an agent noun from the verb [[cool]] and [[-er]].^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Anything that cools: 1575 in the OED and Merriam-Webster;^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024) a vessel in which liquids are set to cool, the 1570s in Etymonline, 1616 in the OED.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A cooling medicine is from 1621,^(OED 1989) and a vessel in which syrup crystallizes into sugar from 1790.^(OED 1989) A water cooler, a place for cool drinking water, is American from 1838.^(OED 1989) The slang sense, a jail, is attested from 1884.^(Etymonline)^(Collins 2023) A portable insulated box for keeping food and drink cold is from 1944 in Etymonline, 1958 in the OED.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) A long cold drink, usually mildly alcoholic and based on fruit juice (a ''wine cooler''), is by 1953.^(Etymonline)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1575 – anything that cools.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1616 – a cooling vessel.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1838 – a water cooler (US).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1884 – a jail (slang).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1944 – an insulated box.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1953 – a cold drink.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A container, device or room for cooling things or keeping them cool.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(chiefly US)'' An insulated box for keeping food and drink cold.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ # A long cold drink, often of wine and fruit juice.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(slang)'' A [[prison]] or jail.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[aftercooler]]

+ * [[intercooler]]

+ * [[water cooler]]

+ * [[wine cooler]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[cool]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}