anti-freezing
|an-ti-freez-ing|
/ˌæntiˈfriːzɪŋ/
against freezing
Etymology
'anti-freezing' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') plus 'freeze' (from Old English 'frēosan' meaning 'to freeze').
'freeze' comes from Old English 'frēosan', passed into Middle English as forms like 'frysen' and eventually became modern English 'freeze'; combining the productive prefix 'anti-' with 'freeze' produced 'anti-freeze' and related compounds such as 'anti-freezing'.
The components originally meant 'against' + 'to freeze'; the compound has come to mean 'against freezing' in the sense of preventing freezing or describing agents/processes that do so.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an agent, treatment, or process intended to prevent freezing (often used in technical or descriptive contexts).
The road crews used anti-freezing overnight to keep the surface safe.
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Adjective 1
preventing or designed to prevent freezing; reducing the tendency to form ice.
An anti-freezing coating was applied to the exposed pipes before winter.
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Last updated: 2025/10/29 14:57