hoarfrost

hoarfrost
Frost Frost (fr[o^]st; 115), n. [OE. frost, forst, AS. forst, frost. fr. fre['o]san to freeze; akin to D. varst, G., OHG., Icel., Dan., & Sw. frost. [root]18. See {Freeze}, v. i.] 1. The act of freezing; -- applied chiefly to the congelation of water; congelation of fluids. [1913 Webster]

2. The state or temperature of the air which occasions congelation, or the freezing of water; severe cold or freezing weather. [1913 Webster]

The third bay comes a frost, a killing frost. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. Frozen dew; -- called also {hoarfrost} or {white frost}. [1913 Webster]

He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. --Ps. cxlvii. 16. [1913 Webster]

4. Coldness or insensibility; severity or rigidity of character. [R.] [1913 Webster]

It was of those moments of intense feeling when the frost of the Scottish people melts like a snow wreath. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]

{Black frost}, cold so intense as to freeze vegetation and cause it to turn black, without the formation of hoarfrost.

{Frost bearer} (Physics), a philosophical instrument illustrating the freezing of water in a vacuum; a cryophorus.

{Frost grape} (Bot.), an American grape, with very small, acid berries.

{Frost lamp}, a lamp placed below the oil tube of an Argand lamp to keep the oil limpid on cold nights; -- used especially in lighthouses. --Knight.

{Frost nail}, a nail with a sharp head driven into a horse's shoe to keep him from slipping.

{Frost smoke}, an appearance resembling smoke, caused by congelation of vapor in the atmosphere in time of severe cold. [1913 Webster]

The brig and the ice round her are covered by a strange black obscurity: it is the frost smoke of arctic winters. --Kane.

{Frost valve}, a valve to drain the portion of a pipe, hydrant, pump, etc., where water would be liable to freeze.

{Jack Frost}, a popular personification of frost. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hoarfrost — Hoar frost , n. The white particles formed by the congelation of dew; white frost. [Written also {horefrost}. See {Hoar}, a.] [1913 Webster] He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. Ps. cxlvii. 16. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • hoarfrost — c.1300, hore forst; see HOAR (Cf. hoar) + FROST (Cf. frost) (n.) …   Etymology dictionary

  • hoarfrost — [hôr′frôst΄] n. [ME horfrost: see HOAR & FROST] FROST (sense 3) …   English World dictionary

  • hoarfrost — /hawr frawst , frost , hohr /, n. frost (def. 2). [1250 1300; ME hor frost. See HOAR, FROST] * * * ▪ meteorology       deposit of ice crystals on objects exposed to the free air, such as grass blades, tree branches, or leaves. It is formed by… …   Universalium

  • hoarfrost — hoar|frost [ˈho:frɔst US ˈho:rfro:st] n [U] formal [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: hoar gray, white (11 20 centuries) (from Old English har) + frost] a thin layer of ice that forms on objects outside when it is very cold = ↑frost ▪ A light hoarfrost… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • hoarfrost — šerkšnas statusas T sritis fizika atitikmenys: angl. hoar; hoarfrost; rime vok. Rauhreif, m rus. иней, m pranc. givre, m …   Fizikos terminų žodynas

  • hoarfrost — šerkšnas statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Ledo nuogulos, žiemą nusėdančios iš oro ant medžių šakų, laidų ir kitų smailių paviršių. Kristalinis šerkšnas susidaro vandens garams kondensuojantis priešvėjinėje objektų pusėje, kai …   Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • hoarfrost — noun Date: 14th century frost 1b …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • hoarfrost — noun Dew drops which have undergone deposition and frozen into ice crystals to form a white deposit on an exposed surface, when the air is cold and moist. See Also: hoar …   Wiktionary

  • hoarfrost — sb. Fragm. Sci. 232 …   Oldest English Words

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