icicle
noun
ici·cle
ˈī-ˌsi-kəl 
1
: a pendent mass of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water
2
: an emotionally cold person
3
: a long narrow strip (as of foil) used to decorate a Christmas tree
Did you know?
Old English gicel, meaning icicle, became Middle English ikyl or ikel and later modern English ickle, which survives as a dialect word in Yorkshire, England. The word for ice in Old English is is, and in a manuscript of about the year 1000 we find Latin stiria, “icicle,” glossed, somewhat redundantly, as ises gicel, that is, “an icicle of ice.” Some 300 years later, in Middle English, this became the compound known today as icicle, which means precisely what it did 1000 years ago.
Examples of icicle in a Sentence
his wife is such an icicle you're lucky to get so much as a greeting from her
Recent Examples on the Web
Clean the gutters regularly and install double layers of ice and water barriers to avoid icicle and ice dam formation.
—
Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Mar. 2025
The ship now had snow on the decks and icicles hanging outside the windows.
—Fran Golden, AFAR Media, 28 Feb. 2025
One of the easiest ways to make your space feel warm and inviting is with a plush area rug to keep your toes from feeling like icicles.
—Toni Sutton, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025
These icicle lights, $27.99 at Amazon, look like a meteor shower or falling snow across the night sky.
—Nora Colomer, Fox News, 5 Dec. 2024
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Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Mar. 2025
The ship now had snow on the decks and icicles hanging outside the windows.
—Fran Golden, AFAR Media, 28 Feb. 2025
One of the easiest ways to make your space feel warm and inviting is with a plush area rug to keep your toes from feeling like icicles.
—Toni Sutton, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025
These icicle lights, $27.99 at Amazon, look like a meteor shower or falling snow across the night sky.
—Nora Colomer, Fox News, 5 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for icicle
Articles Related to icicle
Cite this Entry
“Icicle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/icicle. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
icicle
noun
ici·cle
ˈī-ˌsik-əl
: a hanging mass of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water
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