icicle

noun

ici·​cle ˈī-ˌsi-kəl 

1

: a pendent mass of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water

2

: an emotionally cold person

3

: a long narrow strip (as of foil) used to decorate a Christmas tree

Did you know?

Old English gicel, meaning icicle, became Middle English ikyl or ikel and later modern English ickle, which survives as a dialect word in Yorkshire, England. The word for ice in Old English is is, and in a manuscript of about the year 1000 we find Latin stiria, “icicle,” glossed, somewhat redundantly, as ises gicel, that is, “an icicle of ice.” Some 300 years later, in Middle English, this became the compound known today as icicle, which means precisely what it did 1000 years ago.

Synonyms of icicle

• clam
• iceberg
• stick
• cold turkey

Examples of icicle in a Sentence

his wife is such an icicle you're lucky to get so much as a greeting from her

Recent Examples on the Web

From shoveling sidewalks to removing icicles, there are countless maintenance tasks to manage throughout the season to keep your family and neighborhood safe. —Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 16 Jan. 2026

Throughout the city, bare trees were weighed down with icicles and snow was piled up next to sidewalks. —Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026

Another shot shows icicles hanging from the bottom of the kitchen cabinets, with more hanging down from the ceiling. —Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026

Hocking Hills, Ohio The Hocking Hills' rock formations and caves become even more dramatic in winter, when snow settles on the damp rocks and bare trees, and waterfalls freeze into huge icicles. —Ashlyn Ware, Midwest Living, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English isikel, from is ice + ikel icicle, from Old English gicel; akin to Old High German ihilla icicle, Middle Irish aig ice

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for icicle

• bicycle

Kids Definition

icicle

noun

ici·​cle ˈī-ˌsik-əl 

: a hanging mass of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water