froideur

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French froideur (literally “coldness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɹwɑːˈdɜː(ɹ)/, /fwɑːˈdɜː(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)

Noun

froideur (usually uncountable, plural froideurs)

1. A cold or indifferent manner.
2. (usually italicized) A chill in relations.

   Synonyms: antipathy, hostility

   • 2001, Ron Chernow, The House of Morgan‎, →ISBN, page 548:

     "There was a froideur between the Bank of England and the Swiss central bank for some time," recalled Collins.

   • 2021 May 7, Barrett Swanson, “The Anxiety of Influencers”, in Harper's Magazine‎:

     When I look over at Chase […] he stares back at Baron with such withering froideur that he resembles one of those Dust Bowl farmers in a Dorothea Lange portrait.

French

Etymology

From froid +‎ -eur. Compare Catalan fredor, Spanish frior.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʁwa.dœʁ/ ~ /fʁwɑ.dœʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

froideur f (plural froideurs)

1. coldness, cold

   Synonym: froidure

Descendants

• → English: froideur

Further reading

• “froideur”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.