暑い！ ― sweltering

台風一過、また猛暑の日々がやってくるようです。

暑い！という時、”hot”という単語だけではいつも同じで物足りません。

今日の単語は、”swelter”です。


A heat wave blanketed Kentucky just in time for high school athletes to begin summer practices.

The mandatory KHSAA dead period ended July 15, allowing fall teams to begin organized workouts. But sweltering temperatures make getting things underway easier said than done. Coaches must carefully monitor heat indexes, enforce heat related precautions, and alter or cancel workouts based on strictly defined criteria.

It's not just about heat. Humidity factors into the equation. On Wednesday at noon, the temperature in Lexington was just 84 degrees, but with a 74 percent relative humidity, the heat index stood at 92 degrees.

According to KHSAA rules, school officials must cancel all outdoor activities if the heat index rises above 104 degrees. Even when temperatures don't rise to that level, coaches and athletic trainers must carefully monitor athletes, allow for water breaks every 30 minutes, and constantly recheck temperatures and relative humidities.
(Mike Maharrey. High School Coaches Dealing With Heat As Practices Begin. LEX18.com. July 20, 2011.)


この単語の興味深いところは、遡ること古期英語”sweltan”は”死ぬ”という意味であるということです。熱中症で亡くなられる方もいますので、暑さはやはり昔から死のリスクと隣り合わせだったのでしょう。

なお暑さを表現する特徴的な表現には先日紹介した、”sizzle”という単語もあります。