lukewarm
pronunciation
How to pronounce lukewarm in British English:
UK [ˌlu:kˈwɔ:m]
How to pronounce lukewarm in American English:
US [ˌlukˈwɔrm]
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- Adjective:
- moderately warm
- feeling or showing little interest or enthusiasm
Word Origin
- lukewarm
- lukewarm: [14] Lukewarm is a compound adjective based on the now obsolete Middle English luke ‘tepid’. It is not altogether clear where this came from, but it is generally assumed to be a derivative of the also now obsolete lew ‘(fairly) warm’, with perhaps a diminutive suffix. Lew goes back to an Old English hlēow ‘warm’, a variant of which became modern English lee ‘shelter’. It is related to Latin calor ‘heat’ (source of English calorie), calidus ‘hot’ (source of English caudle, cauldron, and chowder), and calēre ‘be hot’ (source of English nonchalant).=> calorie, cauldron, chowder, lee, nonchalant
- lukewarm (adj.)
- late 14c., from luke + warm (adj.). Figurative sense of "lacking in zeal" (of persons or their actions) is from 1520s. Related: Lukewarmly; lukewarmness.
Example
- 1. The international monetary fund 's response to the brazilian measure was lukewarm or even mildly negative .
- 2. Many are still coming to inquire about his books , which had lukewarm salesbefore the announcement .
- 3. The new film 's lukewarm reception , let alone the current economic climate , make it a tall order .
- 4. Fund manager anthony bolton has failed to secure full backing for his china investment trust after a lukewarm reception from some institutional investors .
- 5. The president of florida 's senate and the speaker of its house-both republicans-are lukewarm about the proposed tax cuts , and his relations with his own party have often been rocky .