heiß

Heiß is a German adjective meaning hot, either in a physical sense of high temperature or in a figurative sense of intensity or urgency. It describes objects, substances, and environments as well as concepts that are perceived as heated or passionate, such as a hot topic or a heated debate. In everyday language it also appears in fixed phrases like heiße Luft (hot air) or heiße Eisen anfassen (to touch a hot/dangerous issue).

Etymology and related forms: heiß comes from Old High German hēs and Proto-Germanic *haisaz, meaning hot or fiery. It is cognate with related Germanic languages’ words for hot, such as Dutch heet.

Usage and declension: heiß is used attributively before nouns and inflects for gender, number, and case. After definite articles the endings are typically -e in singular: der heiße Kaffee, die heiße Suppe, das heiße Getränk, and -en in plural: die heißen Getränke. After indefinite articles the endings vary: ein heißer Kaffee, eine heiße Suppe, ein heißes Getränk. In predicate position it does not take an ending: Der Kaffee ist heiß.

Examples of common collocations include heiße Getränke (hot drinks), heiße Debatte (heated/controversial debate), and heiße Spur or heiße Hinweise (hot lead or tip). Temperature-related uses cover hot beverages, ovens, weather, and objects such as Metallteile, die heiß sind.

See also: the related forms and contrast to kalt (cold) and warm (warm), and the verb heiβen, which is a homograph but means “to be called,” not related to heat.