Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FREEZE, v.i. [pret. froze; pp. frozen, or froze. Sax. frysan; D. vriezen; Dan. fryser; Sw. frysa. It coincides in elements with D. vreezen, to fear, that is, to shrink, contract, tremble, shiver, Fr. friser, to curl, whence frissoner, to shiver, Sp. frisar. These are of one family, unless there has been a change of letters. The Italian has fregio, for frieze, and the Gr. φρισσω had for its radical letters φριξω. These may be of a different family. To freeze is to contract. See Class Rd, Rs, No. 14, 19, 25. Qu. Russ. mroz, frost.]

1. To be congealed by cold; to be changed from a liquid to a solid state by the abstraction of heat; to be hardened into ice or a like solid body. Water freezes at the temperature of 32 degrees above zero by Fahrenheit's thermometer. Mercury freezes at 40 degrees below zero.
2. To be of that degree of cold at which water congeals. Shak.
3. To chill; to stagnate, or to retire from the extreme vessels; as, the blood freezes in the veins.
4. To be chilled; to shiver with cold.
5. To die by means of cold. We say a man freezes to death.