freeze
Meaning
to become hard, and often turn to ice, as a result of extreme cold
to preserve food by storing it at a very low temperature
to stop moving or making progress suddenly
to become suddenly motionless with fear or shock
to fix prices, wages, etc. at a particular level for a period of time
Usage
the lake will freeze if the temperature drops below zero tonight.
you can freeze the leftover soup for up to three months.
the government decided to freeze all public sector salaries for a year.
Etymology
the word 'freeze' originates from the old english verb 'frēosan', meaning 'to turn to ice'. this old english term is descended from the proto-germanic 'freusaną', which carries the same core meaning. tracing further back, the proto-germanic root finds its origin in the proto-indo-european root 'preus-', meaning 'to freeze' or 'to burn with cold'. this ancient root also gave rise to related words in other indo-european languages, such as latin 'pruīna' (hoarfrost) and sanskrit 'pluṣyati' (he burns). the semantic journey is direct and consistent, moving from the ancient concept of becoming rigid or affected by intense cold to its modern meanings encompassing physical solidification, preservation, sudden stoppage, and economic control.
Analysis
this word is a tight germanic root and cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller morphemes based on its modern english spelling.