Definition of LUKEWARM

lukewarm

Meanings

Adjective Satellite

  • moderately warm
    • "he hates lukewarm coffee"
  • feeling or showing little interest or enthusiasm
    • "gave only lukewarm support to the candidate"

Adj

  • Between warm and cool.
  • Unenthusiastic (about a proposal or an idea).

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English leukwarm, lukewarm (“lukewarm, tepid”), equivalent to luke (“lukewarm”) + warm. Compare Saterland Frisian luukwoarm (“lukewarm”), German Low German luukwarm (“lukewarm”), German lauwarm (“lukewarm”). First element believed to be an alteration of Middle English lew (“tepid”) (> English dialectal lew), from Old English hlēow (“warm, sunny”), from Proto-Germanic *hliwjaz, *hlēwaz, *hlūmaz, *hleumaz (“warm”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱal(w)e-, *ḱel(w)e-, *k(')lēw- (“warm, hot”). Cognate with Dutch lauw (“tepid”), German lau (“lukewarm”), Faroese lýggjur (“warm”), Swedish ljum (“lukewarm”), ljummen (“lukewarm”) and ly (“warm”), Danish lummer (“muggy”), Danish and Norwegian lunken (“tepid”), dialectal Swedish ljummen (“lukewarm”).

Scrabble Score: 17

lukewarm is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
lukewarm is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
lukewarm is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 20

lukewarm is a valid Words With Friends word