Antifreeze

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A liquid substance added to a cooling system to lower the freezing point and prevent ice formation
2. A chemical solution used in engines or other machinery to stop the coolant from freezing under cold temperatures
3. A fluid designed to reduce the freezing temperature of liquids in various mechanical and industrial applications

Etymology: Antifreeze is about as transparent as compounds get: the Greek prefix "anti-", meaning "against" or "opposed to," attached to "freeze." The prefix traces back through Ancient Greek "ἀντί" (anti) to a very old Indo-European root, but the sense that matters here is simple opposition. The English word "freeze" is itself old, descending from Old English "frēosan," which sits in a Germanic family of words for cold and ice. The compound was formed in English by joining these two parts, so the word describes exactly what the substance does: it works against freezing. Its meaning is literal rather than metaphorical, and nothing about it has shifted from an earlier sense.

Synonyms: coolant, de-icer