Comparative form of hot; having a higher temperature than something else. More intense, exciting, or fashionable than another thing.
From Old English 'hāt,' comparative 'hāttra,' related to German 'heiß.' The word has maintained its basic meaning since Proto-Germanic times, with metaphorical extensions (hot temper, hot topic) developing from the core sense of high temperature.
The word 'hot' and its comparative 'hotter' have spawned more slang meanings than almost any temperature word, from 'hot' meaning stolen goods in the 1920s to today's 'hot' meaning attractive or trendy. This semantic fertility shows how fundamental temperature concepts are to human expression.
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