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frost

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Frost and fröst

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Frost on a leaf and grass.
Close-up look at frost crystals.

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *prews-
Proto-Indo-European *-tós
Proto-Indo-European *prustós
Proto-Germanic *frustaz
Proto-West Germanic *frost
Old English frost
Middle English frost
English frost

    From Middle English frost, from an unmetathesized variant of Old English forst (“frost”), from Proto-Germanic *frustaz (“frost”), from Proto-Indo-European *prews- (“to freeze; frost”).

    Cognate with Saterland Frisian Froast, Fröäst (“frost”), West Frisian froast (“frost”), Cimbrian bròst, vrost, vròst (“frost”), Dutch vorst (“frost”), German Frost (“frost”), Luxembourgish Frascht (“frost”), Vilamovian fröst (“frost”), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish frost (“frost”), Latin pruīna (“hoarfrost, frost, rime, snow”). Related to freeze.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    frost (countable and uncountable, plural frosts)

    1. A cover of minute ice crystals on objects that are exposed to the air. Frost is formed by the same process as dew, except that the temperature of the frosted object is below freezing.
    2. The cold weather that causes these ice crystals to form.
      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 31:40:
        Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
      • 1748, David Hume, Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral., London: Oxford University Press, published 1973, § 47:
        It is more probable, in almost every country of Europe, that there will be frost sometime in January, than that the weather will continue open throughout that whole month;
    3. (figurative) Coldness or insensibility; severity or rigidity of character.
      • 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:
        It was one of those moments of intense feeling when the frost of the Scottish people melts like a snow-wreath.
      • 1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
        Up to that time the girl had never really done her hair, and she regarded boots merely as things to protect the feet. Suddenly it dawned on her that she was considered plain and that she diffused an atmosphere of intellectual frost.
      • 2026 June 28, Josh Halliday, “Prince Harry may cancel UK family visit after being refused police protection”, in The Guardian‎[1], →ISSN:
        An LA-based business associate of Harry and Meghan, who live in Montecito, California, told the Telegraph there had been a “warming of the frost” between the king and his youngest son after Harry’s public attacks in his memoir, Spare, and television interviews.
    4. (obsolete) The act of freezing; the congelation of water or other liquid.
    5. A shade of white, like that of frost.
      frost:  
    6. (slang, dated) A disappointment; a cheat.
    7. (television) A kind of light diffuser.
      • 2013, Alan Bermingham, Location Lighting for Television, pages 9–26:
        Frosts and diffusion are flame retardant and produce similar results except that some of the frosts are very subtle in their effects. For example: Hamburg Frost will soften the beam edge with little additional spread of the beam.

    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Verb

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    frost (third-person singular simple present frosts, present participle frosting, simple past and past participle frosted)

    1. (transitive) To cover with frost.
    2. (intransitive) To become covered with frost.
      • 1975, Brian W. Blouet, Merlin P. Lawson, editors, Images of the Plains: The Role of Human Nature in Settlement, University of Nebraska Press, page 142:
        “The weather is pleasant while it frosted a little at night.”
    3. (transitive) To coat (something, e.g. a cake) with icing to resemble frost.
    4. (transitive, informal) To anger or annoy.
      I think the boss's decision frosted him a bit.
    5. (transitive) To sharpen (the points of a horse's shoe) to prevent it from slipping on ice.
    6. (transitive) To bleach individual strands of hair while leaving adjacent strands untouched.

    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    Anagrams

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    Danish

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    Etymology

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    From Old Norse frost.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /frɔst/, [fʁ̥ʌsd̥]

    Noun

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    frost c (singular definite frosten, not used in plural form)

    1. frost

    Declension

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    Declension of frost
    common
    gender     		singular
    indefinite definite
    nominative frost frosten
    genitive frosts frostens

    Derived terms

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    References

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    Icelandic

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    Etymology

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    From Old Norse frost.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    frost n (genitive singular frosts, nominative plural frost)

    1. frost

    Declension

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    Declension of frost (neuter)
    singular plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative frost frostið frost frostin
    accusative frost frostið frost frostin
    dative frosti frostinu frostum frostunum
    genitive frosts frostsins frosta frostanna

    See also

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    Middle English

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    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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      From Old English frost, forst, from Proto-West Germanic *frost, from Proto-Germanic *frustaz, *frustą. Cognate with Middle Dutch vorst, Middle High German vrost, Middle Low German vrost, Old Swedish frost.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      frost (plural frostes)

      1. Cold or freezing weather; weather causing frost.
      2. Frost or rime; frozen dew or water droplets.
      3. Hail; precipitation below freezing temperature.
      4. (rare, figurative) Something with a chilling effect.

      Derived terms

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      Descendants

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      • English: frost
      • Scots: frost
      • Yola: vrosth, vroste, vrast

      References

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      Norwegian Bokmål

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      Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
      Wikipedia no

      Etymology

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      From Old Norse frost n.

      Noun

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      frost m (definite singular frosten)

      1. frost

      Derived terms

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      References

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      Norwegian Nynorsk

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      Etymology

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      From Old Norse frost n.

      Noun

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      frost m (definite singular frosten)

      1. frost

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      Old English

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      Noun

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      frost m

      1. alternative form of forst, produced by metathesis

      Old High German

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      Etymology

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        From Proto-Germanic *frustaz. Cognate with Old English frost, Old Norse frost.

        Noun

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        frost m

        1. frost

        Declension

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        Declension of frost (masculine a-stem)
        case singular plural
        nominative frost frostā, frosta
        accusative frost frostā, frosta
        genitive frostes frosto
        dative froste frostum
        instrumental frostu —

        Derived terms

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        Descendants

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        Old Norse

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        Etymology

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        From Proto-Germanic *frustą, *frustaz, akin to Old English frost, Old High German frost.

        Noun

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        frost n

        1. frost

        Descendants

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        Further reading

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        • Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “frost”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

        Swedish

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        Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:
        Wikipedia sv

        Etymology

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        From Old Norse frost, from Proto-Germanic *frustą, *frustaz.

        Pronunciation

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        Noun

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        frost c

        1. frost

        Declension

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        Declension of frost
        nominative genitive
        singular indefinite frost frosts
        definite frosten frostens
        plural indefinite — —
        definite — —

        See also

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        References

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        Anagrams

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