Forms: 4–6 chyll, chil(le, (7 cheel), 6– chill. [First found in 14th c., but not frequent before 16th; app. f. CHILL sb.: but evidence is deficient.
It has been suggested that the vb. may have been deduced from a pa. pple. child (chilled), short for childed, from a vb. child-en repr. OE. *cieldan, *cildan to make cold. If so, the whole later series of chill v., adj. and sb. (since 1600), would be distinct from the ME. sb.
I. intr.
1. To grow or become cold; to be injuriously cold.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., C. 368. Al chaunged her chere & chylled at [? al] þe hert.
1570. Levins, Manip., 123. To chil with cold, algere.
1580. Baret, Alv., C 474. To Chill for colde: to be in great colde.
1655. Gurnall, Chr. in Arm., xxxiii. § 2 (1665), 385/2. The outward parts burn, but the inward chill.
1703. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 104. That the Glew Chill not (as Work-men say when it cools). Ibid., 105. As it chills, it thickens.
1722. De Foe, Moll Fl. (1840), 298. My very blood chills at the mention of the name of Newgate.
† 2. esp. To shiver or shudder with cold. Obs.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 75. Chyllyn, for colde, frigucio.
c. 1485. Digby Myst. (1882), I. 374. I Chille and Chever for this Orrible chaunce.
1530. Palsgr., 483/2. My handes chyll, mes mains me frissonnent.
1560. A. L., trans. Calvin’s Foure Serm. Songe Ezech., Epist. Sometime chilling and chatering with colde.
1591. Spenser, M. Hubberd, 993. The Ape … did nought but chill and quake.
b. Of things: ? To vibrate, quiver, thrill, shiver.
1747. Hooson, Miner’s Dict., E iij. Lay one Hand on the Rock … and strike gently, or more hard as we feel it chills, the more faint and languid the motion is that is caused by striking, the more firm and fast it shews it to be.
3. To be seized with a sudden chill.
1830. W. Taylor, German Poetry, I. 75. A hoarse sigh rattled up his throat, he chilled, he fell, he stiffened, and arose no more.
1883. Daily News, 5 July, 5/6. He was carried out into the park, but chilled suddenly and fainted.
II. trans.
4. To make cold, lower the temperature of absolutely; to affect sensibly and injuriously with cold; to give a chill to. Also absol.
(The first quot. is very doubtful; perh. it is chile or chill adj., but 3 MSS. have child, 1 scheld, 2 cold.)
1399. Langl., P. Pl., C. XVIII. 49. And charite þat child is now · sholde chaufen of himself.
1581. Mulcaster, Positions, vi. (1887), 45. Heat burnes, cold chilles.
1672. Dryden, Conq. Granada, I. i. Every Ladies Blood with fear was chill’d.
1764. Goldsm., Trav., 172. Winter lingering chills the lap of May.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., 153. Cold stones and other objects which have become chilled by free radiation.
b. To deaden, benumb, blight or blast with cold.
1727. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Flower, You must … defend your Auriculas … from Rains that chill them.
1712. Blackmore, Creation, III. The fruits decay … by snows immod’rate chilled.
c. With advb. extension: To chill up, down, etc.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), IV. 41. The marmout … has all its faculties chilled up in winter.
5. fig. To affect as with cold; to check, depress or lower (warmth, ardor, etc.); to damp, deject, dispirit.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lxvii. § 12. Chilleth … all warmth of zeal.
1618. in Gutch, Coll. Cur., II. 424. The promoter … hath gotten his Charges of Sir Thomas Brookes, and Sir Thomas much cheeled.
a. 1656. Vines, Lord’s Supp. (1677), 122. Curious sifting and disputing too boldly chill all warmth of our zeal, and bring soundness of belief into great hazard.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., II. xxvi. 51. Age had chilled the daring spirit of Athanaric.
1820. W. Irving, Sketch Bk., I. 208. A supercilious air that chilled admiration.
1849. Robertson, Serm., Ser. I. xxi. (1866), 349. Nothing chills the heart like … distrust.
1869. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), III. xii. 170. Their courage was chilled by the ill success of their arms.
6. techn. To cool molten metal suddenly so as to harden it; esp. in molding, to cool and harden the surface of cast iron by allowing the molten metal in the mold to come in contact with cold iron placed at the part where the hardening is to be effected, or by casting altogether in an iron mold.
1831. J. Holland, Manuf. Metals, I. 238. Both cases usually made of cast-iron chilled on the outside to make them hard.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xxxiv. (1854), 297. The frozen mercury resembled in appearance lead, recently chilled after melting.
1875. Ure, Dict. Arts, II. 474. A section of the casting shows the effect of chilling.
7. To dull or deaden (a varnished surface) by cold or other agency; to ‘bloom.’
1859. Gullick & Timbs, Paint., 214. Whatever varnish may be employed … a current of cold or damp air, which ‘chills’ or ‘blooms’ them [paintings], should be avoided.
8. colloq. To take the chill, or sensation of active cold, off (a liquid); to raise to temperate heat.
a. 1825. Forby, Voc. East Anglia, Chill, to take off extreme coldness from any sort of beverage by placing it near the fire in frosty weather.
1836–9. Dickens, Sk. Boz (1866), 275. A pint pot, the contents of which were ‘chilling’ on the hob.
1875. Parish, Sussex Gloss., s.v., I often gets my mistus to chill a drop of beer for me, when I comes home winter evenings.
1881. Evans, Leicestersh. Gloss., s.v., Did you chill the water for the ’osses?
