NYT Dictionary

WARM

/waːm/
AdjectiveVerbNounWAWRMGrade 3

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Meaning

Of a somewhat high temperature, often but not always connoting that the high temperature is pleasant rather than uncomfortable.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *warmaz Proto-West Germanic *warm Old English wearm Middle English warm English warm From Middle English warm, werm, from Old English wearm, from Proto-West Germanic *warm, from Proto-Germanic *warmaz, from one of: * Proto-Indo-European *wór-mo-s, from *wer- (“to burn”), which is related to Hittite 𒉿𒊏𒀀𒉌 (warāni, “to burn”), Armenian վառել (vaṙel, “to burn, heat, warm”), Old Church Slavonic варити (variti, “to cook, boil”). * Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰor-mo-s, from the root *gʷʰer- (“warm, hot”), in which case cognate with Ancient Greek θερμός (thermós) (making perhaps a distant doublet of thermos), Latin formus, Sanskrit घर्म (gharmá). In any case cognate within Germanic to West Frisian waarm, Saterland Frisian woorm, Dutch warm, German warm, Swedish varm, Icelandic varmur.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

warm upwarmtepidmildbalmyaffectionatefondlovesometenderstrong

Antonyms

Arcticcoldcoolfrozen

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 4 recorded puzzles:

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