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What Do torrid and Toast Have in Common?
Hot, steamy, sultry: English is full of words that do double-duty in describing thirst traps both literal (as in the tropics) and figurative (as in, well, thirst traps). Torrid comes from the Latin verb torrēre, which means “to burn” or “to parch” and is an ancestor of our word toast. (Despite its dry implications, torrēre is also an ancestor of torrent, as in “a torrent of rain.”) Torrid first appeared in English in the 16th century and was originally used to describe something burned or scorched by exposure to the sun, but it has since taken on an extended meaning similar to the “sexy” sense of hot: “showing fiery passion,” as in “torrid love letters” or “a torrid affair.”
Examples of torrid in a Sentence
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 24 May 2025
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle subbed out Nesmith for just under three minutes before the torrid stretch, allowing the sharpshooter to return with fresh legs in the comeback attempt.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
On Phire Ottawa rookie Gwyneth Phillips continued her torrid postseason on Tuesday, stopping 25 of 26 shots from Minnesota to improve to 4-0-1 with a 1.11 goals-against average and .957 save percentage in the playoffs.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 21 May 2025
Kansas City Royals starter Kris Bubic continued his torrid start to the 2025 campaign Tuesday night against the Houston Astros.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for torrid
Cite this Entry
“Torrid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torrid. Accessed 31 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
from Latin torridus "dried or burnt by heat, torrid," derived from torrēre "to heat so as to dry up or burn" — related to torrent
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