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freeze

Pronunciation: /ˈfɹiːz/

The English word “freeze” has 18 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature.
  2. To lower something's temperature to the point that it freezes or becomes hard.
  3. To drop to a temperature below zero degrees celsius, where water turns to ice.
  4. To be affected by extreme cold.
  5. Of a machine or system, to come to a sudden halt, to stop working (functioning).
  6. Of a person or other animal, to stop (become motionless) or be stopped due to attentiveness, fear, surprise, etc.
  7. To cause someone to become motionless.
  8. To lose or cause to lose warmth of feeling; to shut out; to ostracize.
  9. To cause loss of animation or life in, from lack of heat; to give the sensation of cold to; to chill.
  10. To prevent the movement or liquidation of a person's financial assets
  11. Of prices, spending etc., to keep at the same level, without any increase.
  12. To prevent from showing any visible change.
  13. To trap (the puck) so that it cannot be played.

noun

  1. A period of intensely cold weather.
  2. A halt of a regular operation.
  3. The state when either a single computer program, or the whole system ceases to respond to inputs.
  4. A precise draw weight shot where a delivered stone comes to a stand-still against a stationary stone, making it nearly impossible to knock out.
  5. A block on pay rises or on the hiring of new employees etc.

Etymology

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”),…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.