Cryopreserving

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The technique of rapidly freezing biological specimens to stop cellular activity for preservation, ensuring their intactness for later use through low-temperature storage
2. This method involves lowering temperatures to preserve biological materials, halting any metabolic processes to maintain viability upon warming
3. A method that involves freezing biological samples to cease cellular functions, allowing for long-term preservation and viability when subsequently thawed

Etymology: This is an inflected form, so it needs only a sentence or two. "Cryopreserving" is the present participle and gerund of "cryopreserve," meaning to preserve by freezing. That verb is built from "cryo-," from Ancient Greek "krúos," meaning icy cold or frost, joined to "preserve," which came into English from Old French and ultimately from Latin "praeservare," to keep safe.