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ice (īs)
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n.
1. Water frozen solid.
2. A surface, layer, or mass of frozen water.
3. Something resembling frozen water: ammonia ice.
4. A frozen dessert consisting of water, sugar, and a liquid flavoring, often fruit juice.
5. Cake frosting; icing.
6. Slang Diamonds.
7. Sports The playing field in ice hockey; the rink.
8. Extreme unfriendliness or reserve.
9. Slang A payment over the listed price of a ticket for a public event.
10. Slang Methamphetamine.
v. iced, ic·ing, ic·es
v.tr.
1. To coat or slick with solidly frozen water.
2. To cause to become ice; freeze.
3. To chill by setting in or as if in ice.
4. To cover or decorate (a cake, for example) with a sugar coating.
5. Slang To ensure of victory, as in a game; clinch.
6. Sports To shoot (the puck) from one's defensive half of an ice hockey rink across the opponent's goal line outside of the goal.
7. Slang To kill; murder.
v.intr.
To turn into or become coated with ice; freeze: The pond iced over.
Idioms:
on ice Slang
1. Assured of attainment or success: With the extra goal the victory was on ice.
2. In reserve or readiness.
3. Away from public notice or activity.
on thin ice
In a precarious position.
[Middle English is, from Old English īs.]
iceless adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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