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freeze
freeze / frēz/ • v. (past froze / frōz/ ; past part. fro·zen / ˈfrōzən/ ) 1. [intr.] (of a liquid) be turned into ice or another solid as a result of extreme cold: in the winter the milk froze. ∎ [tr.] turn (a liquid) into ice or another solid in such a way. ∎ (of something wet or containing liquid) become blocked, covered, or rigid with ice: the pipes had frozen. ∎ [tr.] cause (something wet or containing liquid) to become blocked, covered, or rigid with ice: the ground was frozen hard. ∎ be or feel so cold that one is near death (often used hyperbolically): you'll freeze to death standing there. ∎ [tr.] (of the weather) cause (someone) to feel so cold that they are near death. ∎ (of the weather) be at or below freezing: at night it froze again. ∎ [tr.] deprive (a part of the body) of feeling, esp. by the application of a chilled anesthetic substance. ∎ [tr.] treat (someone) with a cold manner; stare coldly at (someone): she would freeze him with a look when he tried to talk to her. 2. [tr.] store (something) at a very low temperature in order to preserve it: the cake can be frozen. ∎ [intr.] (of food) be able to be preserved in such a way: this soup freezes well. 3. [intr.] become suddenly motionless or paralyzed with fear or shock: Mathewson froze on the spot, unable to take the next step. ∎ stop moving when ordered or directed. 4. [tr.] hold (something) at a fixed level or in a fixed state for a period of time: new spending on defense was to be frozen. ∎ prevent (assets) from being used for a period of time: the charity's bank account has been frozen. ∎ stop (a moving image) at a particular frame when filming or viewing: the camera will set fast shutter speeds to freeze the action. ∎ [intr.] (of a computer screen) become temporarily locked because of system problems. • n. 1. an act of holding or being held at a fixed level or in a fixed state: workers faced a pay freeze. ∎ short for freeze-frame. 2. inf. a period of frost or very cold weather: the big freeze surprised the weathermen. PHRASES: freeze one's blood (or one's blood freezes) fill (or be filled) with a sudden feeling of great fear or horror.PHRASAL VERBS: freeze someone out inf. behave in a hostile or obstructive way so as to exclude someone from something.DERIVATIVES: freez·a·ble / -zəbəl/ adj. fro·zen·ly adv. ORIGIN: Old English frēosan (in the phrase hit frēoseth ‘it is freezing, it is so cold that water turns to ice’), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriezen and German frieren, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin pruina ‘hoarfrost’ and frost. |
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Cite this article
"freeze." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "freeze." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-freeze.html "freeze." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-freeze.html |
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freeze
freeze freeze one's blood fill one with a sudden feeling of great fear or horror. The idea of the blood congealing at such a moment goes back to the late medieval period; the actual phrase is used in Hamlet, when the Ghost tells his son that he ‘could a tale unfold whose lightest word Would…freeze thy young blood.’
See also cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "freeze." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "freeze." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-freeze.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "freeze." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-freeze.html |
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freeze
freeze pt. froze, pp. frozen (impers.) be so cold that ice forms OE.; be converted into ice XIII; convert into ice XV. OE. str. vb. frēosan = MLG., MDu. vrēsen (Du. vriezen), OHG. frīosan (G. frieren), ON. frjósa :- Gmc. *freusan, f. *freus- *fraus- *frus- :- IE. *preus- *prous- *prus-, repr. by L. pruīna hoarfrost, Skr. pruṣvā́.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "freeze." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "freeze." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-freeze.html T. F. HOAD. "freeze." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-freeze.html |
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freezing
freezing change of a substance from the liquid to the solid state. The temperature at which freezing occurs for a pure crystalline solid is called the freezing point and is a characteristic of the particular substance. The reverse process, the change of a solid to a liquid, is called melting. See melting point ; refrigeration . |
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Cite this article
"freezing." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "freezing." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-freezing.html "freezing." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-freezing.html |
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freezing
freezing, the term sometimes used to describe the ornamental painting around the bows, stern, and quarters of old sailing ships, most often in the form of arms and armour or maritime emblems. There can be little doubt that this was the contemporary shipwright's method of spelling friezing, from frieze, a band of ornament.
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"freezing." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "freezing." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-freezing.html "freezing." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-freezing.html |
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freezing
freezing See food preservation
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"freezing." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "freezing." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-freezing.html "freezing." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-freezing.html |
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FREEZE
FREEZE see Peace Action.
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Cite this article
"FREEZE." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "FREEZE." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-FREEZE.html "FREEZE." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-FREEZE.html |
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freeze
freeze
•Achinese, Ambonese, appease, Assamese, Balinese, Belize, Beninese, Bernese, bêtise, Bhutanese, breeze, Burmese, Cantonese, Castries, cerise, cheese, chemise, Chinese, Cingalese, Cleese, Congolese, Denise, Dodecanese, ease, éminence grise, expertise, Faroese, freeze, Fries, frieze, Gabonese, Genoese, Goanese, Guyanese, he's, Japanese, Javanese, jeez, journalese, Kanarese, Keys, Lebanese, lees, legalese, Louise, Macanese, Madurese, Maltese, marquise, Milanese, Nepalese, Nipponese, officialese, overseas, pease, Pekinese, Peloponnese, Piedmontese, please, Portuguese, Pyrenees, reprise, Rwandese, seise, seize, Senegalese, she's, Siamese, Sienese, Sikkimese, Sinhalese, sleaze, sneeze, squeeze, Stockton-on-Tees, Sudanese, Sundanese, Surinamese, Tabriz, Taiwanese, tease, Tees, telegraphese, these, Timorese, Togolese, trapeze, valise, Viennese, Vietnamese, vocalese, wheeze
•superficies • Héloïse • Averroës
•rabies • pubes • Maccabees
•headcheese
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Cite this article
"freeze." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "freeze." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-freeze.html "freeze." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-freeze.html |
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