COOLNESS

We take a deep dive look at the complexity of the word Cool and trace its evolution, emphasizing how its meaning has expanded over time from a simple, literal description of temperature to something much more layered and nuanced. Initially, cool simply referred to a moderate temperature—not too hot, not too cold. The word's history is rich, stretching back to its appearance in the ninth century in English translations of the works of Boethius, as col, and its eventual variations in spelling—coul, coole, and koole—before it settled into its modern form.

This piece also highlights that cool's early uses were grounded in its original, physical sense of temperature. As an example, Daniel Defoe’s use of the word in A Journal of the Plague Year ("The Weather was temperate, variable and cool enough") reinforces that cool was once a practical descriptor of environmental conditions. This historical perspective helps us appreciate how the word’s meaning gradually evolved from the concrete, external world of weather to more abstract, figurative qualities, like calmness, composure, and even style, making it much harder to define and maintain.

By tracing the word’s origins and variations, the passage reveals the gradual shift from literal meanings to metaphorical ones and how cool has transformed from a simple environmental descriptor into an elusive, coveted social trait. This process highlights just how hard it can be to "stay cool," not just in the literal sense of managing one’s body temperature but in the figurative, emotional, and social sense, making it both difficult and slippery.

Initially a descriptor of temperature, cool transitioned from referring to the environment to becoming a term for mental composure and rationality. Over time, it took on an even more nuanced figurative meaning, becoming associated with style, confidence, and a certain allure. Its emergence in African-American vernacular as a term of approval (ex“Dat’s cool!”) seems to have laid the groundwork for the more widespread use of cool in the 20th century, especially within the jazz and youth counterculture.

The concept of cool has become complex and resistant to a singular definition. Psychologist Ilan Dar-Nimrod’s distinction between "cachet cool" and "contrarian cool" illustrates the multifaceted nature of the term. The former reflects a more glamorous or desirable kind of cool (e.g., Marilyn Monroe), while the latter is defined by rebelliousness or nonconformity (e.g., James Dean). These ideas reflect how cool transcends simple admiration and becomes an embodiment of a certain rebellious or unattainable ideal.