(adj.); bearing or bringing cold; from the Latin frigus (“cold”)

There’s no denying it, as much as we might wish to: the Northern Hemisphere is in the midst of the coldest part of the year. We temper the icy storms with romantic images of thick woollen scarves and roaring fires and leftover roasted chestnuts, but the cold truth of the matter is, it’s frightfully frigiferous out there. Sadie Stein, reporting for the Paris Review, muses on a favored exclamation this time of year, and argues that brr stands up as a word, despite “not [being] included on most lists of onomatopoeia” (and if it’s good enough for Urban Dictionary, it’s good enough for Stein). Or, shiver your way over The Millions where Wayne Scott warms his readers with a nostalgic essay on childhood, E.B. White, and endless summer.