ijzige

Ijzige is a Dutch adjective meaning icy, frosty, or extremely cold. It describes things related to cold temperatures or surfaces that feel very cold, such as weather conditions, wind, water, or morning frost. It can also be used metaphorically to convey an inhospitable or bleak atmosphere, as in "ijzige stilte." The form ijzige is used when the adjective directly modifies a noun: "een ijzige wind," "de ijzige kou."

Origin and cognates: The word derives from ijs, ice, with the adjectival suffix -ig. In Dutch, it is closely related to German eisig and English icy. The spelling reflects the Dutch digraph ij, which historically represents a long "i" sound.

Inflection and usage notes: ijzig is the base form; before singular or plural nouns, in attributive position, the form becomes ijzige: "een ijzige kou," "de ijzige wind," "ijzige winden." In predicative position, the adjective typically appears as ijzig: "de wind is ijzig" or "de lucht is ijzig koud." The adjective carries strong semantic emphasis and is more vivid than merely koud.

Examples and nuance: Common collocations include ijzig koud, ijzige kou, ijzige wind, ijzige stilte, ijzige ochtend. The term tends to be used in descriptive or literary contexts rather than in everyday neutral reporting.