TSUMUGU · C1 (est.) · 字
酷
酷 ＝ 酉 ＋ 告
ㄎㄨˋ · kù
adj — harsh, cruel; intense, extreme; (slang) cool
字源 FORM — what the parts do
酉義a wine jar — strong drink
IF≠gào → kù — the reading drifted hard off the donor
A wine jar (酉) with 告 gào for the sound — the base sense is a brew of thick, biting flavor. From wine too strong comes the harsh and extreme: 殘酷 cruel, 酷暑 fierce heat; and lately, by way of English, 酷 for cool.
意 · Meanings
(本義)酒味濃烈— a brew of biting, intense flavor
→殘酷、酷刑— cruel, harsh常用
→酷暑、酷熱— fierce, extreme (heat)常用
→很酷— cool, stylish (from English)常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
酉yǒuthe jar on the left — the wine-jar of 酒、醉、酬告gàothe sound donor, bare — to tell, announce