Etymology, Origin And Meaning Of Lukewarm By Etymonline

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Origin and history of lukewarm

lukewarm(adj.)

"neither cold nor hot, tepid," late 14c., from warm (adj.) + luke (adj.) "tepid" (c. 1200), a word of uncertain origin. 

The figurative sense of "lacking in zeal, not ardent" (of persons or their actions) is from 1520s. Related: Lukewarmly; lukewarmness. Luke-warmth (1590s) is marked "rare" in OED 2nd edition print (1989).

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to lukewarm

luke(adj.)

obsolete except in lukewarm (late 14c.), from Middle English leuk "tepid" (c. 1200), a word of uncertain origin, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *hleoc (cognate with Middle Dutch or Old Frisian leuk "tepid, weak"), an unexplained variant of hleowe (adv.) "warm," from Proto-Germanic *khlewaz (see lee), or from the Middle Dutch or Old Frisian words.

Old English also had wlæc "tepid, lukewarm," which survived in Middle English as wlake. In Middle English lew-warm was a parallel form to luke-warm. Related: Lukely; lukeness. Other now-obsolete formations were luke-hot (late 14c.), luke-hearted (c. 1500).

warm(adj.)

Old English wearm, "having a moderate degree of heat," from Proto-Germanic *warmaz (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Old High German, German warm, Old Norse varmr, Gothic warmjan "to warm").

A word of uncertain origin. On one guess it is from PIE root *gwher- (source of Greek thermos "warm;" Latin formus "warm," Old English bærnan "to kindle"). On another it is connected to the source of Old Church Slavonic goriti "to burn," varŭ "heat," variti "to cook, boil;" and Lithuanian vérdu, virti "to seethe."

The use of distinct words, based on degree of heat, for warm and hot is general in Balto-Slavic and Germanic, but in other languages one word often covers both (Greek thermos; Latin calidus, French chaud, Spanish caliente).

In reference to feelings, etc., "ardent, full of zeal," it is attested from late 15c. Of colors from 1764. The sense in guessing games of "close to the thing that is sought" is recorded by 1860, probably from earlier use in hunting in reference to the scent or trail (1713).

Warm-blooded in reference to mammals is recorded from 1793. Warm-hearted, "of a generous and affectionate nature, inclined to seek friendship," is by c. 1500.

• lee
• *kele-
• See All Related Words (4)

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Trends of lukewarm

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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leeMiddle English le, leoh, from Old English hleo "shelter, cover, defense, protection," from Proto-Germanic *khlewaz (source also of Old Norse hle, Danish læ, Old Saxon hleo, Dutch lij "lee, shelter"). The original sense is uncertain; it might have been "warm" (compare German lau "ain't1706, originally a contraction of am not, and considered proper as such until in early 19c. it began to be also a generic contraction of are not, is not, has not, etc. This was popularized in representations of London cockney dialect in Dickens, etc., which led to the word being hecticlate 14c., etik (in fever etik "hectic fever"), from Old French etique "consumptive," from Late Latin hecticus, from Greek hektikos "continuous, habitual," also used of slow, continued diseases or fevers. The Greek adjective is from hexis "a habit (of mind or body)," from ekhein algebra"formal mathematics; the analysis of equations; the art of reasoning about quantitative relations by the aid of a compact and highly systematized notation," 1550s, from Medieval Latin algebra, from Arabic "al-mukhtasar fi hisab al-jabr wa al-muqabala" ("the compendium on calculatsermonc. 1200, sermoun, sarmun, "a discourse upon a text of scripture; that which is preached," from Anglo-French sermoun, Old French sermon, sermun "speech, words, discourse; church sermon, homily" (10c.) and directly from Latin sermonem (nominative sermo) "continued speech, conversatmiraclemid-12c., "a wondrous work of God," from Old French miracle (11c.) "miracle, story of a miracle, miracle play," from Latin miraculum "object of wonder" (in Church Latin, "marvelous event caused by God"), from mirari "to wonder at, marvel, be astonished," figuratively "to regard, Albuquerquecity in New Mexico, founded 1706 and named for Spanish administrator and viceroy of Mexico Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, Duque de Alburquerque (1617-1676); the name subsequently was altered by association with Portuguese hero Alfonso d'Albuquerque (1453-1515), the "Portuguese trespassc. 1300, "transgress in some active manner, commit an aggressive offense, to sin," from Old French trespasser "pass beyond or across, cross, traverse; infringe, violate," from tres- "beyond" (from Latin trans; see trans-) + passer "go by, pass" (see pass (v.)). Meaning "enter unlpoontang"female genitalia," also "sex with a woman; woman regarded as a sex object," c. 1910, a word of uncertain origin. Shortened form poon is recorded by 1969. Probably via New Orleans Creole, from French putain "prostitute," from Old French pute "whore" (cognate with Spanish anrosarymid-15c., rosarie, "rose garden, ground set apart for the cultivation of roses," a sense now obsolete, from Latin rosarium "rose garden," in Medieval Latin also "garland; string of beads; series of prayers," from noun use of neuter of rosarius "of roses," from rosa "rose" (see ro

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‘cite’Page URL:https://www.etymonline.com/word/lukewarmCopyHTML Link:<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/lukewarm">Etymology of lukewarm by etymonline</a>CopyAPA Style:Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of lukewarm. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/lukewarmCopyChicago Style:Harper Douglas, "Etymology of lukewarm," Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed December 17, 2025, https://www.etymonline.com/word/lukewarm.CopyMLA Style:Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of lukewarm." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/lukewarm. Accessed 17 December, 2025.CopyIEEE Style:D. Harper. "Etymology of lukewarm." Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/lukewarm (accessed December 17, 2025).CopyRemove AdsAdvertisement

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