de-icing
|de-ice-ing|
/ˌdiːˈaɪsɪŋ/
(de-ice)
remove ice
Etymology
'de-icing' originates from two elements: the prefix 'de-' from Latin 'de-' meaning 'removal' or 'reversal', and the word 'ice' from Old English 'īs' meaning 'frozen water'.
'ice' comes from Old English 'īs' (from Proto-Germanic '*īsaz'), which became Middle English 'is'/'ice' and then modern English 'ice'; the prefix 'de-' comes from Latin 'de-'. The verb formation 'de-ice' (to remove ice) is a more recent productive combination in modern English, gaining use especially in the 20th century with aviation and road maintenance contexts, and 'de-icing' is the present-participle/noun form that followed.
Initially, 'ice' referred simply to frozen water; by combining with the prefix 'de-' (to remove), 'de-ice' came to mean 'remove ice' and 'de-icing' the action or material used to achieve that — a straightforward compositional meaning that developed with technological contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process of removing ice, frost, or snow from a surface (often used for vehicles, aircraft, runways, roads).
The ground crew completed de-icing before the plane took off.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
a substance or material used to remove or prevent accumulation of ice (e.g., de-icing fluid, salt on roads).
The de-icing used on the runway was a glycol-based fluid.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/29 14:50