Frostbite

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Tissue damage that occurs when skin and underlying flesh freeze due to prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures
2. Tissue destruction resulting from the freezing of skin and underlying structures during extended exposure to dangerously frigid conditions
3. Damage to the skin and deeper tissues caused by freezing temperatures during cold exposure

Etymology: "Frostbite" is about as transparent as English compounds get: "frost" plus "bite," the sense of a sharp, stinging nip. The idea behind the word is that cold works on exposed skin the way a biting creature does, leaving a wound that hurts and then deadens. Both halves are old native English words, so the compound was built from familiar material rather than borrowed from another language. The metaphor is what gives the word its punch. A frost that bites suggests cold with teeth, and the English vocabulary of the sea, mountains and winter has long treated extreme cold as an attacker. The compound makes that image literal: the damage is done by the same sudden sting a dog or insect might deliver, only the instrument is temperature.

Synonyms: frozen tissue, cold injury

Antonyms: warmth, heating