cool, cold (beer, person), chill
冷 centers on a lack of warmth: something cool, cold, or chilled. It applies to physical temperature (cold beer, cool air) and can describe a chilly emotional tone in a person.
冷 combines the ice radical 冫 with 令, which likely contributes the sound. The ice radical suggests coldness, while 令 may have originally depicted a person kneeling under a roof, but its role here is primarily phonetic.
The ice radical 冫 on the left gives the cold meaning. Picture a command (令) to chill: someone orders you to put the drinks on ice, so everything becomes cool.
For レイ, imagine a ray of cold moonlight: ray -> レイ, and the icy light makes everything feel chilled.
cold (to the touch); chilly; icy; freezing
calmness; composure; coolness; serenity; presence of mind
refrigerator; fridge
freezing; cold storage; refrigeration
chilliness; coldness
to cool; to chill; to refrigerate
to cool down; to get cold
cooling; refrigeration
air conditioning; air cooling
cold war; the Cold War
freezer
cruelty; coldheartedness; relentless; ruthless
cold; coldness; chilliness
to grow cold; to get chilly; to cool down
cool-headed; level-headed; hard-headed
cold storage; refrigeration
cold water
cold sweat
sensitivity to cold; poor circulation
cool; indifferent; apathetic; half-hearted
cold reception; inhospitality
to cool (e.g. from a high temperature to room temperature); to let cool
air conditioning and heating
cold; chilly; cool
sneer; derision; scornful laugh; cold smile
cold water
to get (very) cold; to get (much) colder
cool summer; cold summer; cooler-than-normal summer
to banter; to make fun of; to jeer at
frozen food
cold-weather damage (to crops)
indisposition (e.g. a cold) caused by getting chilled while sleeping