FREEZE

I. verb (froze; frozen; freezing) Etymology: Middle English fresen, from Old English frēosan; akin to Old High German friosan to ~, Latin pruina hoarfrost, Old English frost frost Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to become congealed into ice by cold, to solidify as a result of abstraction of heat, to withstand freezing , to become chilled with cold , to adhere solidly by or as if by freezing , to become fixed or motionless, to become clogged with ice , transitive verb 1. to harden into ice, to convert from a liquid to a solid by cold, to make extremely cold ; chill , 3. to act on usually destructively by frost, to anesthetize by cold, to cause to grip tightly or remain in immovable contact, 5. to cause to become fixed, immovable, unavailable, or unalterable , to immobilize by governmental regulation the expenditure, withdrawal, or exchange of , to render motionless , to attempt to retain continuous possession of (a ball or puck) without an attempt to score usually in order to protect a small lead, freezingly adverb II. noun Date: 15th century 1. an act or instance of freezing, the state of being frozen, a state of weather marked by low temperature especially when below the freezing point, a halt in the production, testing, and deployment of military weapons