different between icy vs ivy

English

Alternative forms

• icey (rare)
• ycie (obsolete)

Etymology

ice +? -y; cf. Old English ?si?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?a?si/

Adjective

icy (comparative icier, superlative iciest)

1. Pertaining to, resembling, or abounding in ice; cold; frosty.
2. Covered with ice, wholly or partially.
3. Characterized by coldness of manner; frigid; cold.
   • 2009, Sharon Kendrick, The Desert Princes Bundle: The Sheikh's English Bride

     Gone was the gleam of desire, and the teasingly provocative remarks, and Alexa realised the truth in the saying that indifference was death. His demeanour was haughty and icy towards her.

4. (US, slang) To be wearing an excessive amount of jewelry, especially of the high-quality and expensive kind.

Related terms

• icily
• iciness

Translations

References

• icy in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• icy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• CyI

Middle French

Adverb

icy

1. here

Descendants

• French: ici

English

Etymology

From Middle English ivi, from Old English ?fi?, from Proto-West Germanic [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *ibahs (compare West Flemish iefte, Low German Eiloov, Ieloof, German Efeu), from Proto-Indo-European *(h?)eb?- (compare Welsh efwr (“black elder”), Ancient Greek ????? (íphuon, “spike-lavender, Lavandula Spica”)).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ??v?, IPA^(key): /?a?vi/
• Rhymes: -a?vi

Noun

ivy (countable and uncountable, plural ivies)

1. Any of several woody, climbing, or trailing evergreen plants of the genus Hedera.
2. Any similar plant of any genus.

Hypernyms

• climber, creeper, liana

Hyponyms

• (plants in Hedera): See Hedera.

Coordinate terms

• kudzu
• vine

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• ivy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Hedera on Wikispecies.Wikispecies