For today’s Weird Word Wednesday, let’s look at three words related to cold weather: croodle, shrammed, and nither.
Here’s what www.merriam-webster (unabridged edition) says about these words:
Pronunciation: [ ˈkrüdᵊl ]
Part of speech: Verb
Definition: To huddle together, as from cold.
Origin: Probably frequentative of Scots crood to crowd, from Middle English crouden
“Croodle.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/croodle. Accessed 23 Dec. 2022.
shrammed
Pronunciation: [ ˈs(h)ramd, -aa(ə)md ]
Part of speech: Adjective
Definition: Shriveled and benumbed with cold.
Origin: Probably alteration of scrammed, past participle of scram.
“Shrammed.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/shrammed. Accessed 23 Dec. 2022.
nither
Pronunciation: [ ‘nih-thur ]
Part of speech: Verb
Definition: To shiver or tremble, especially with cold.
Origin: Probably Scandinavian
“Nither.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/nither. Accessed 23 Dec. 2022.
What other weird words to describe cold can you think of? Let me know in the comments below.