freeze

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To become solid or turn to ice because of cold.

   Water freezes at zero degrees Celsius.

2. 2
   verb

   To feel extremely cold.

   It's freezing in here, can we close the window?

3. 3
   verb

   To make food very cold to store it for a long time.

   You can freeze the leftover soup for next week.

4. 4
   verb

   Of a machine or computer, to stop working suddenly.

   My laptop freezes whenever I open too many tabs.

5. 5
   noun

   An official decision to stop prices, wages, or hiring from changing.

   The company announced a freeze on hiring during the downturn.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Freeze is an Old English word closely related to frost, another ancient English word recorded from the 8th century.

From Middle English fresen, from Old English frēosan (“to freeze”), from Proto-West Germanic *freusan, from Proto-Germanic *freusaną (“to freeze”), from Proto-Indo-European *prews- (“to freeze; frost”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian friis, friise, früüs (“to freeze”), Saterland Frisian fjoose, frjoze (“to freeze”), West Frisian frieze (“to freeze”), Central Franconian freese (“to freeze”), Cimbrian briizan, vriizan (“to be cold”), Dutch vriezen (“to freeze”), Low German freren, fresen (“to freeze”), Luxembourgish fréieren (“to freeze”), German frieren (“to freeze”), Yiddish פֿרירן (frirn…

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary