Fría

Fría is the feminine singular form of the Spanish adjective frío, meaning cold or cool in temperature, and it can also describe emotional distance. It agrees with feminine nouns in gender and number, and is used with both concrete and abstract senses.

Etymology: fría comes from the Latin frigidus, related to other Romance languages. The masculine form is frío; together they share the same root.

Usage: After the noun is more common: una bebida fría, agua fría; it can also precede the noun for emphasis, as in una fría noche. The plural forms are frías for feminine nouns and fríos for masculine nouns. In spelling, fría carries an accent on the í to mark the stress.

Semantic range: the adjective covers physical coldness as well as metaphorical coldness, such as a frigid or distant attitude. Common collocations include temperatura fría, clima frío, trato frío, and recepción fría. Antonyms include caliente and cálido, while frialdad is a related noun meaning coldness. An adverbial form exists as fríamente, meaning coldly.

See also: frío, frialdad, temperatura.