The quality or state of being emotionally distant, unfeeling, or lacking compassion and warmth.
From 'cold' (low temperature, metaphorically unfeeling) + 'hearted' (having a certain emotional disposition) + '-ness' (state of being). This metaphor of cold=unfeeling dates back to Middle English.
The fact that we use 'cold' to describe lack of emotion and 'warm' for kindness isn't just poetic—it reflects how our bodies literally feel emotions, warming up with excitement and cooling with fear!
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