Congelation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of transforming a liquid into a solid state by cooling ; the act of becoming rigid or frozen ; a state change where fluid matter turns firm or icy
2. A physical phenomenon involving the solidification of a substance from liquid form through temperature reduction ; the condition of freezing or stiffening due to cold ; the conversion from fluid to solid consistency
3. The natural or induced transition of a liquid into a solid by lowering temperature ; the hardening or freezing process ; the phase shift resulting in a stable, solid matter from a previously liquid phase

Etymology: Congelation is a compound of Latin "con-" (together, thoroughly) and "gelare" (to freeze), so its core sense is simply "freezing together" or "freezing thoroughly." The Latin noun "congelatio" meant the act of freezing, and English took the word through Middle French "congelation," where the French form is still used today as "congélation." The word therefore describes a process rather than a thing: the change from liquid to solid under cold. Its Latin ancestry is also behind a family of English relatives such as "congeal" and "congealment," which share the same stem, though "congeal" came into English by a different route, through Old French "congeler."

Synonyms: freezing, solidification, gelation

Antonyms: melting, thawing, liquefaction