icicle

[ahy-si-kuhl]

noun

1. a pendent, tapering mass of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water.

2. a thin strip of paper, plastic, or foil, usually silvery, for hanging on a Christmas tree as decoration.

3. a cold, unemotional person.

icicle

/ ˈaɪsɪkəl /

noun

1. a hanging spike of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water

Other Word Forms

• icicled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of icicle¹

before 1000; Middle English isikel, Old English īsgicel, equivalent to īs ice + gicel icicle; akin to Old Norse jǫkul mass of ice, glacier

Word History and Origins

Origin of icicle¹

C14: from _ice + ickel, from Old English gicel icicle, related to Old Norse jökull large piece of ice, glacier

Example Sentences

“I recognize them from my Fundamentals of Geology class at Swanburne. They come in pairs: One grows up from the ground like a spire; the other hangs from the roof like an icicle.”

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I can see icicles hanging off the wooden casing of Cleopatra’s Needle.

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It's being coined the "icicle kick" - the stunning bicycle kick that lit up the Canadian Premier League final.

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Hanging from the ceiling was a dazzling array of icicles.

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Drops will continue to run down the icicle, freezing at the end, to give the icicle its distinctive shape.

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