sultry

sultry
adjective (sultrier; -est) Etymology: obsolete English sulter to swelter, alteration of English swelter Date: 1594 1. a. very hot and humid ; sweltering <
a sultry day
>
b. burning hot ; torrid <
a sultry sun
>
2. a. hot with passion or anger b. exciting or capable of exciting strong sexual desire <
sultry glances
>
sultrily adverbsultriness noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Sultry — Sul try (s[u^]l tr[y^]), a. [Compar. {Sultrier} (s[u^]l tr[i^]*[ e]r); superl. {Sultriest}.] [From {Sweltry}.] 1. Very hot, burning, and oppressive; as, Libya s sultry deserts. [1913 Webster] Such as, born beneath the burning sky And sultry sun,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sultry — [adj1] hot and humid baking, broiling, burning, close, hot, mucky, muggy, oppressive, red hot*, scorching, sizzling, smothering, soggy, sticky, stifling, stuffy, suffocating, sweltering, sweltry, torrid, wet; concepts 525,605 Ant. cool, dry… …   New thesaurus

  • sultry — 1590s, oppressively hot, close and moist (of weather), from obs. verb sulter to swelter (1580s), alteration of SWELTER (Cf. swelter). Fig. sense of hot with lust is attested from 1704; of women, lascivious, sensual, arousing desire it is recorded …   Etymology dictionary

  • sultry — ► ADJECTIVE (sultrier, sultriest) 1) (of the weather) hot and humid. 2) displaying or suggesting passion; provocative. ORIGIN from obsolete sulter «swelter» …   English terms dictionary

  • sultry — [sul′trē] adj. sultrier, sultriest [var. of SWELTRY] 1. oppressively hot and moist; close; sweltering 2. extremely hot; fiery 3. a) hot or inflamed, as with passion or lust b) suggesting or expressing smoldering passio …   English World dictionary

  • sultry — sul|try [ˈsʌltri] adj [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: sulter to be uncomfortably hot (16 17 centuries), from swelter] 1.) weather that is sultry is hot with air that feels wet = ↑humid ▪ a hot and sultry day ▪ Since the rain, the air had become heavy… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • sultry — sultrily, adv. sultriness, n. /sul tree/, adj., sultrier, sultriest. 1. oppressively hot and close or moist; sweltering: a sultry day. 2. oppressively hot; emitting great heat: the sultry sun. 3. characterized by or associated with sweltering… …   Universalium

  • sultry — [[t]sʌ̱ltri[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n Sultry weather is hot and damp. [WRITTEN] The climax came one sultry August evening. 2) ADJ GRADED Someone who is sultry is attractive in a way that suggests hidden passion. [WRITTEN] ...a dark haired… …   English dictionary

  • sultry — adjective 1 weather that is sultry is unpleasantly hot with no wind 2 a woman who is sultry makes other people feel strong sexual attraction to her: a sultry look sultriness noun (U) …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • sultry — sul•try [[t]ˈsʌl tri[/t]] adj. tri•er, tri•est 1) oppressively hot and close or humid; sweltering: a sultry day[/ex] 2) oppressively hot; emitting great heat: the sultry sun[/ex] 3) characterized by or arousing passion: sultry eyes[/ex] •… …   From formal English to slang

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