Acicle

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A thin, elongated formation of ice that develops from water dripping and freezing in cold conditions
2. A sharp and narrow icy structure that is created when water freezes as it drips from a surface
3. A slender ice formation that forms when dripping water freezes in extremely cold temperatures

Etymology: Acicle comes from Latin "acicula", a diminutive of "acus", meaning "needle" or "pin". The Romans used the word for a pin that held up a woman's head-dress, so the sense began with a small, sharp shaft of metal or wood. The Latin diminutive ending "-icula" shrinks the base noun, which is why the English word still sounds like a tiny, delicate version of a needle. English took the term for its present sense, a slender spike of ice, and it has kept the image of something thin, pointed and fragile. The word is the same kind of thing as "acicular", the adjective for needle-shaped crystals, which shares its Latin root.