frost

noun

1. a degree or state of coldness sufficient to cause the freezing of water.
2. Also called hoarfrost. a covering of minute ice needles, formed from the atmosphere at night upon the ground and exposed objects when they have cooled by radiation below the dew point, and when the dew point is below the freezing point.
3. an opaque coating of tiny, white, granular ice particles, formed on the walls or contents of a freezer by the condensation of water vapor; rime.
4. the act or process of freezing.
5. coldness of manner or temperament: We noticed a definite frost in his greeting.
6. Informal. a coolness between persons.
7. Informal. something that meets with lack of enthusiasm, as a theatrical performance or party; failure; flop.
8. a milk shake, frappe, or similar drink: a chocolate frost.

verb (used with object)

9. to cover with frost.
10. to give a frostlike surface to (glass, metal, etc.).
11. to ice (a cake, cookies, etc.).
12. to bleach selected strands of (a person’s hair) in order to create highlights.
13. to kill or injure by frost: a freezing rain that badly frosted the tomato plants.
14. to make angry: I was frosted by his critical comment.

verb (used without object)

15. to become covered with frost or freeze (often followed by up or over): The windshield has frosted over.
16. (of varnish, paint, etc.) to dry with a film resembling frost.

Idioms

17. degree of frost, British. the degree of temperature Fahrenheit below the freezing point: 10 degrees of frost is equivalent to 22°F.

noun

1. Robert (Lee),1874–1963, U.S. poet.

noun

1. a white deposit of ice particles, esp one formed on objects out of doors at nightSee also hoarfrost
2. an atmospheric temperature of below freezing point, characterized by the production of this deposit
3. degrees below freezing point: eight degrees of frost indicates a temperature of either –8°C or 24°F
4. informal something given a cold reception; failure
5. informal coolness of manner
6. the act of freezing

verb

7. to cover or be covered with frost
8. (tr) to give a frostlike appearance to (glass, etc), as by means of a fine-grained surface
9. (tr) mainly US and Canadian to decorate (cakes, etc) with icing or frosting
10. (tr) to kill or damage (crops, etc) with frost

noun

1. Sir David (Paradine). born 1939, British television presenter and executive, noted esp for political interviews
2. Robert (Lee). 1874–1963, US poet, noted for his lyrical verse on country life in New England. His books include A Boy’s Will (1913), North of Boston (1914), and New Hampshire (1923)

n.

Old English forst, frost “a freezing, becoming frozen, extreme cold,” from Proto-Germanic *frusta- (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German frost, Middle Dutch and Dutch vorst), related to freosan “to freeze,” from PIE *preus- “to freeze; burn” (see freeze (v.)). Both forms of the word were common in English till late 15c.; the triumph of frost may be due to its similarity to the forms in other Germanic languages.

v.

1630s, from frost (n.). Related: Frosted; frosting.

n.

1. A deposit of minute ice crystals formed when water vapor condenses at a temperature below freezing.

1. A deposit of tiny, white ice crystals on a surface. Frost forms through sublimation, when water vapor in the air condenses at a temperature below freezing. It gets its white color from tiny air bubbles trapped in the ice crystals. See more at dew point.