avkøles

Avkøles is a Danish verb meaning to cool down or to become cooler. It is used to describe the reduction of temperature in objects, substances, or environments, and can also extend to the easing of heat, intensity, or emotion in a non-physical sense. The form avkøles is the present tense used with a subject that is cooling, for example in phrases like temperaturen avkøles (the temperature cools).

Etymology and form: avkøles is built from the prefix av- meaning away or down, combined with køle, the verb “to cool.” The related noun is afkøling, meaning the act or process of cooling down, while the past participle is afkølet, meaning cooled.

Applications: In science and engineering, avkøling refers to controlled cooling of materials after heating, which can influence microstructure and material properties. In cooking and food safety, avkøling describes letting hot food or liquids return to safer, ambient temperatures before storage or handling. In electronics and machinery, devices are allowed to avkøles after operation to prevent thermal stress. In everyday language, avkøling can also mean calming down emotions or reducing activity after a peak period.

Related terms: afkøling (cooling down), afkølet (cooled), køling (the process of cooling).

See also: cooling, thermal management, quenching (rapid avkøling) and annealing (temperering) as related heat-treatment concepts.