icebox
UK[ˈaɪsbɒks]US[ˈaɪsbɑːks]
n
a chilled box or cupboard for keeping food cold, especially one containing ice.
n
a refrigerator.
Morpheme Breakdown
ice
box
ice
frozen water
box
container
Etymology
the word 'icebox' is a transparent compound formed from two old english and germanic roots. 'ice' derives from the proto-germanic 'īsą', referring to the solid, frozen form of water. 'box' has a more complex journey, entering english from old english but ultimately from the greek 'pyxis', meaning a small container. the compound logically describes a container ('box') that uses 'ice' as a cooling agent. it was coined in the 19th century to name a non-mechanical domestic appliance before being largely superseded by the electric refrigerator, to which the term is now sometimes applied as a synonym.
Analysis
Structure: ice (frozen water) + box (container)
ice (from old english 'īs', of germanic origin; the substance). box (from old english, via late latin 'buxis', from greek 'pyxis'; a container).
Examples
before electric refrigerators were common, people used an icebox to keep their food from spoiling.
she opened the icebox to get some milk for her coffee.
the old icebox in the cabin was still functional, cooled by blocks of ice delivered weekly.