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ice

n. · v. · adj.
US //ˈaɪs// UK //ˈaɪs// ice
  1. 1 frozen water (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    water that has become solid because it is very cold.

    water in its solid crystalline state due to freezing temperatures. Uncountable in its general sense.

    Example

    He put two cubes of ice into his glass of water to make it cold.

    Example

    The hikers were warned that the thin ice on the lake would not support their weight during the spring thaw.
  2. 2 frozen dessert (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Cooking

    a sweet, frozen food made from fruit juice and sugar.

    a frozen confection typically composed of water, sugar, and fruit flavourings; distinct from dairy-based ice cream.

    Example

    The children enjoyed a lemon ice on the beach during the hot afternoon.

    Example

    For dessert, the chef prepared a refreshing raspberry ice to cleanse the palate after the heavy main course.
    • sorbet
    • granita
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  1. 3 diamonds (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Informal

    a slang word for diamonds or expensive jewellery.

    a slang term for diamonds or high-value jewellery, often used in hip-hop culture or crime fiction.

    Example

    The rapper was wearing a lot of ice around his neck at the awards show.

    Example

    The heist movie focused on a group of thieves attempting to steal millions of dollars worth of ice from a high-security vault.
  2. 4 to cool or chill (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to make something cold by putting ice on it or around it.

    to chill a beverage or food item using ice; also used in medicine to treat inflammation.

    Example

    You should ice your ankle for twenty minutes to stop the swelling.

    Example

    The caterers began to ice the champagne bottles hours before the guests were scheduled to arrive for the reception.
  3. 5 to cover with frosting (v.)
    B1 Intermediate Cooking

    to cover a cake or biscuit with a sweet sugar coating.

    to apply icing or frosting to a baked good. Transitive use.

    Example

    Wait for the cupcakes to cool down before you ice them.

    Example

    The baker carefully began to ice the wedding cake with a smooth layer of royal icing.
  4. 6 to murder (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Slang Vulgar

    a slang word meaning to kill someone.

    to murder or assassinate someone. Highly informal and typically found in crime-related contexts.

    Example

    In the movie, the gangster ordered his men to ice the witness.

    Example

    The protagonist feared that the syndicate would ice him if he failed to deliver the stolen documents by midnight.
  5. 7 made of ice (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    made of or relating to ice.

    composed of ice or occurring on ice. Often used as an attributive adjective.

    Example

    The ice rink was crowded with families on Saturday morning.

    Example

    The expedition team struggled to navigate the treacherous ice fields during the peak of the Antarctic winter.
Origin

From Middle English hyse, hyys, ice, ijs, is, yce, ys, yys, from Old English īs, from Proto-West Germanic īs, from Proto-Germanic īsą (“ice”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH- (“ice, frost”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian Iis, is (“ice”), Saterland Frisian Ies (“ice”), West Frisian iis (“ice”), Alemannic German Iis, isch, éisch (“ice”), Bavarian, Cimbrian, and Mòcheno ais (“ice”), Dutch ijs (“ice”), German Eis (“ice”), German Low German Ies (“ice”), Luxembourgish Äis (“ice”), Vilamovian ajs (“ice”), Yiddish אײַז (ayz, “ice”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish is (“ice”), Elfdalian ais (“ice”), Faroese ísur (“ice”), Icelandic ís (“ice”); also Cornish yey (“ice”), yeyn (“cold”), Irish oighear (“ice”), Scottish Gaelic deigh, eigh, eighre (“ice”), Welsh iâ (“ice”), Lithuanian ýnis (“hoar frost”), Bulgarian and Russian и́ней (ínej, “hoar frost”), Czech jíní (“frost”), Macedonian and Serbo-Croatian и́ње (“hoar frost”), Ukrainian і́ній (ínij, “hoar frost, rime”), Ossetian их (ix, “ice”), Armenian եղյամ (eġyam, “frost, hoar frost, rime”), Persian یخ (yax, “ice”), Hittite 𒂊𒃷 (“ice”). Superseded non-native Middle English glace (“ice”), borrowed from Old French glace (“ice”).

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