# warm

Pronunciation: say "WORM" US /wɔɹm/, UK /wɔːm/

## Adjective

1. Having a fairly high temperature, often in a way that feels pleasant rather than uncomfortable.
   - Simple: Slightly hot in a way that often feels nice, not too cold and not too hot.
   - _The afternoon sun left the patio stones warm underfoot._
   - _Climbers welcomed the warm air after the freezing night on the ridge._
2. Friendly and showing genuine affection toward others.
   - Simple: Friendly and kind, in a way that shows you care about someone.
   - _He welcomed the new students with a warm greeting._
   - _Her warm personality drew people to her almost immediately._
4. Making people feel comfortable, relaxed, or pleased.
   - Simple: Giving a feeling of comfort, calm, and pleasantness.
   - _The novel's warm tone made readers feel instantly at home._
   - _Soft lighting gave the cafe a warm, inviting atmosphere._
6. Of a color falling between red and yellow-green on the visible spectrum.
   - Simple: Describing colors like red, orange, and yellow that look like fire or sunlight.
   - _The artist filled the sunset with warm tones of red and gold._
   - _Designers often use warm colors to make a space feel cozy._
9. Getting close to what one is seeking or to the right answer. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Close to finding or guessing the right thing.
   - _Keep looking; you're warm now that you've checked the kitchen._
   - _Her first answer was cold, but the second was much warmer._
10. Of a scent or trail: fresh and still strong enough to be traced.
   - Simple: Fresh and still easy to follow, of a smell or trail left behind.
   - _The hounds picked up a warm scent near the riverbank._
   - _A warm trail meant the fox had passed only minutes earlier._

## Verb

3. To make or keep someone or something warm or warmer, or to become warmer.
   - Simple: To make something warmer or keep it warm, or to get warmer.
   - _He warmed the milk on the stove for the baby._
   - _A good coat will warm you on cold mornings._
7. To fill a person with a comforting feeling of affection.
   - Simple: To make someone feel happy and cared for inside.
   - _The old photographs warmed her as she remembered that summer._
   - _Stories of kindness warm us even in difficult times._
8. To become, or make someone become, gradually more favorable toward or enthusiastic about someone or something.
   - Simple: To slowly start liking someone or something more or feel more excited about it, or make someone feel this way.
   - _Voters gradually warmed to the idea of reform._
   - _It took a while, but I started to warm to the plan._
11. To stir interest, eagerness, or zeal in someone; to make a person engaged or animated.
   - Simple: To make someone feel excited or full of eager interest in something.
   - _The candidate's bold promises warmed the crowd, who began cheering and waving their signs._
   - _A few funny stories can warm an audience before the speaker turns to serious matters._
13. To beat or spank someone, especially as a form of punishment. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To hit or spank someone, often as a punishment.
   - _The old farmer threatened to warm the boys' backsides for stealing his apples._
   - _Grandpa warmed our hides whenever we raided the orchard._

## Noun

5. The act of warming something, or the state of having been warmed; a heating. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The act of heating something, or the feeling of being heated up.
   - _Come in out of the cold and have a warm by the fire._
   - _Give the soup a quick warm on the stove before dinner._

## Adjective

12. Marked by ardent, zealous feeling; passionately eager about a cause or belief. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Full of strong, eager feeling about a cause or belief.
   - _The pamphlet found warm advocates among the young reformers._
   - _She was a warm partisan in every political quarrel of her day._
14. Well off in property or money; prosperous and comfortably situated. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Having plenty of money and living comfortably.
15. Requiring strenuous, demanding effort; arduous. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Needing hard, tiring effort to get done.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To prepopulate a cache so that its contents are loaded and ready before other users request them.
- (verb) To send mail from a domain in gradually increasing volume so that providers build trust in its sending reputation.
- (verb) To scold or verbally abuse someone, often sharply.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4, 6, 9–10, 12, 14–15** — From Middle English "warm," from Old English "wearm," from Proto-Germanic "*warmaz." This traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning either "to burn" or "warm, hot." It is related to Dutch "warm," German "warm," Swedish "varm," and possibly Ancient Greek "thermós" and Latin "formus."
**Meanings 3, 5, 7–8, 11, 13** — Middle English warmen came from two Old English verbs, wearmian ("to become warm") and wierman ("to make warm"), which go back to Proto-West Germanic forms. Dutch warmen, German wärmen and Swedish värma are related.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/warm (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).