this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2024
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Showerthoughts

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Why is there a lukewarm but no lukecool? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 3 months ago by PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
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[–] thesporkeffect@lemmy.world 46 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Since I don't see it addressed yet:

“luke” derived from “lew” or “lewk” or “leuk”, in Middle English, which meant “tepid” (slightly warm). This in turn came from the Old English adverb “hlēowe”, which means “warm or sunny”. Finally, “hlēowe” came from the Proto-Germanic *hlēwaz, meaning “warm”.

The word “lukewarm” popped up around the 14th century as meaning “slightly warm”. Within two centuries, it also began having a figurative meaning, that of “lacking in enthusiasm”.

Cite: https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/08/origin-of-the-word-lukewarm/

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 21 points 3 months ago (1 children)

So lukewarm means "warm warm", except the repetition is basically the opposite of palilogia 🤣

[–] Resol@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

It's basically just East Timor/Timor-Leste, both meaning "east east".

This time, instead of "east", it's "warm".

[–] pelletbucket@lemm.ee 3 points 3 months ago

I always thought it came from that bible verse where Jesus says that if your faith is lukewarm he will spit you out of his mouth. I figured he was insulting Luke

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 22 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Looks Luke cool to me.

[–] snausagesinablanket@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

[–] Artyom@lemm.ee 3 points 3 months ago

I can eat 50 eggs.

[–] DarkDarkHouse@lemmy.sdf.org 20 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Same reason there’s no Warm Hand Luke

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 24 points 3 months ago

Because it sounds like a porno title?

[–] yesman@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If my friend says he can eat 50 eggs...

[–] lord_ryvan@ttrpg.network 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Are you friends with @Artyom@lemm.ee?

[–] Artyom@lemm.ee 2 points 3 months ago

He is now

[–] lordnikon@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago (2 children)

there is, tepid.

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Isn't tepid = lukewarm?

[–] radix@lemmy.world 20 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Depends what you were expecting. Cold coffee and warm soda are the same temperature.

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 months ago

True!
But that's kind of also true for all temperature words. What's hot for one thing is cold for another, etc. we've still made these other words anyways. That could be an entirely other shower thought

[–] BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I thought tepid was like neither warm or cool, so more of a lukemedium.

[–] lordnikon@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

if that's the case what's the difference between warm and hot i always thought lukewarm was the warm side and tepid was the cold side of medium. i don't think there true medium where you can't tell if it's warm or cool side.

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 0 points 3 months ago

Tepid is a synonym of lukewarm, which AFAICT is the middle ground between room temperature and warm.

I'm looking for middle ground between room temperature and cool.

[–] GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Reminds me of Lost Positives by Rob Words. Disgruntled. what about gruntled?

[–] davidgro@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

Thanks for that link. Love discovering good educational channels.

[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

Because everyone who has seen Star Wars already knows Luke is cool. It goes without saying.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I dunno. If throwing up means to puke, then throwing down must mean to ...

Yeah, English is a weird language isn't it 😂

[–] MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@fedia.io 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Duke!
🤛💪

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

Damn you, good response!

[–] funkajunk@lemm.ee 2 points 3 months ago

I throw down with my food sometimes

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Bcs Luke was never ever cool.

If you want to convey that something is cool af use Jean-Luc.

[–] MrJameGumb@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I'd agree with the other response that tepid is the best word for this, but if you don't like that one you could use chilly, chill, brisk, or even just the word cool. The word cool implies on its own something that's just slightly cold.

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

But warm implies something slightly hot.

Hot → warm → lukewarm → room temperature
Cold → cool → ??? → room temperature

[–] MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@fedia.io 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I have a few observations

  1. Body temperature > room temperature. Lukewarm/tepid kinda occupies the space between. It is technically warmer than its surroundings, but does not provide a substantial warming effect to the body.

  2. Lukewarm is used almost exclusively for water, whereas room temperature is a reference to air temperature (either the current or a desirable one) Water and air exchange heat with the human body in different ways and at different rates. Room temperature air is fairly neutral to the body, but a 68F/20C swimming pool is rather chilly, and a 90F/32C room is not what I would call lukewarm.

  3. Warm & cool both have an implication of comfort whereas hot & cold have more an implication of danger or discomfort. Maybe there is something to thinking about these on more than one axis: relative temperature vs desirability or pleasantness.

  4. Context is weird. For things that are supposed to be “hot”, either “cool” or “cold could mean room temperature, above room temperature but also not quite “warm”, or hotter than “warm” but below a target, expected, or usable temperature.

[–] Blackout@kbin.run 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Tepid

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago

As mentioned elsew, tepid means lukewarm. Between room temperature and warm.

So if tepid is between warm and room temperature, what is between cool and room temperature?

[–] Xeroxchasechase@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

Because it doesn't looks cool

[–] Asudox@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Because cool is pretty much the equivalent of lukewarm word for cold

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)
hot warm lukewarm
cold cool ???

Cool isn't the lukewarm word for cold, cool is the warm word for cold.

[–] Asudox@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Oh well, then I'll invent the word lukecool and now everything is okay.

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I was gonna say "clookewarm" until I realized I modified the wrong part.

It's too late for me to be on the internet.

[–] 667@lemmy.radio 1 points 3 months ago

Our reference is warmth. Thermometers measure the activity of atoms which is proportional to temperature.

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 1 points 3 months ago

I sometimes call water lookcool. To me its the really good drinking temp.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 0 points 3 months ago

Lukewarm is French for moderately warm