Frozen

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈfɹəʊzn̩/

Definitions

1. Being in a solidified state resulting from intense cold ; describing a situation or process halted or immobilized ; referring to edible items stored by deep chilling to maintain freshness
2. Characterized by a temperature low enough to change a liquid into a solid ; describing assets or accounts that are legally restricted from use ; indicating a person or expression showing no emotion or movement
3. Describes substances turned solid by extreme cold ; refers to restrictions placed on resources or funds ; means showing stiffness or lack of change in behavior or expression

Etymology: "Frozen" is the past participle of "freeze," and its history shows the older form of the verb hanging on in the adjective. Middle English had "fresen" or "freosen" for "to freeze," and its participle was "froren," with variants such as "frosen" and "ifrozen" (the "i-" prefix being an old marker of the participle). Over time "frozen" settled into the form we use, and it has long been used as an adjective as well as a verb form. The verb "freeze" itself is the more recent-looking form, and it reflects a shift in how the Middle English stem was spelled and pronounced. Its ancestry runs back to Old English roots meaning cold and congealing, which is why the word has always been tied to the idea of liquid becoming hard under cold. The adjective keeps the older participle shape, so "frozen" sounds more archaic than "freeze," even though both belong to the same family.

Synonyms: icebound, solidified, congealed, frigid, glacial

Antonyms: melted, thawed, liquid, warm, heated