Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by E. E Wonders, “Just how warm is lukewarm” Thanks for WONDERing with us, E!

Do you have a big test at school today? If so, you might be dreading it. Or is today the day that your class is having a party? If that’s the case, then you’re probably excited!

But what if it’s a regular day? You know the kind. You go to school, learn, have lunch, learn some more, have recess, learn some more, and then head home. No tests to worry about, but no fun surprises either. If you’re not particularly excited about or dreading something, you might hear people say you have a lukewarm feeling about it.

Are you an aspiring chef? If so, you may also see recipes from time to time that call for lukewarm water as an ingredient. This might have you WONDERing. Just how hot is lukewarm?

Lukewarm actually comes from the Middle English word “lukewarme.” The first part of the word, “luke,” came from the word “lew,” which meant tepid. That means neither hot nor cold . . . or about room temperature.

And that’s what lukewarm means—neither hot nor cold.

Lukewarm can refer to actual temperature. For example, lukewarm water is neither hot nor cold. As for an exact temperature for lukewarm, there’s no set standard. Some believe it to be between 98° F and 105° F. Others say lukewarm it’s in the range of 80° F to 90° F.

You can also find recipes that will tell you to mix one part room-temperature water with two parts boiling water to make lukewarm water. If you run warm water on your wrist and it feels slightly warmer than your body temperature (but not hot), then that’s probably close to lukewarm.

Lukewarm can also be used to describe a person’s attitude toward something. If you’re not strongly for or against something, your feelings toward it may be called lukewarm. Maybe you’ve seen a movie you didn’t particularly like or dislike. Perhaps you don’t love or hate sweet potatoes. People can feel lukewarm about many things. Most people could use the word to describe how they’re feeling at one time or another.

Can you think of a time you felt lukewarm? Have you ever used the word to describe temperature? Lukewarm is a common descriptive word—and now you know exactly what it means!

Standards: CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.SL.1, CCRA.SL.2

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