Word of the day – rio

Today’s word, rio, means frost, freezing or ice in Manx, and river in Portuguese. In Spanish, río means river, stream, torrent, lengthy, long-lasting, epic or interminable.

Related Manx words and phrases
riojey = ice up, freeze, frost, icing
rioeeagh = frosty
rioghar = icicle
rioee = glacial
crammag rio = ice hockey (lit. “ice snail”)
moddey rio = husky (lit. “ice dog”)
coyr rioee = fridge
Eean y ghob jiarg = Jack Frost (lit. “Red-mouthed John”)
Ta Eean y ghob jiarg mooie jiu = it’s frosty today

Example of usage
Chan nel bodjal er-egin ‘syn aer jiu as bee rio ayn noght, son shickyrys.
There’s been barely a cloud in the sky today and it’s certainly going to freeze tonight.

The sun’s been shining most of the day here and it’s been pleasantly warm indoors, but the moment you step outside you’re hit by the cold. There’s a ring around the moon as well – a sure sign of frost.

Are there equivalent names for Jack Frost, the personification of frost or winter weather, in other languages?

One thought on “Word of the day – rio

  1. AYE
    Old English and Maori for yes.
    Amharic and Finnish for no.
    HOW THE HECK IS AMHARIC LINKED TO FINNISH AND OLD ENGLISH LINKED TO MAORI?

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