ice: [OE] Ice is a widespread word among the Germanic languages – German has eis, for instance. Dutch ijs, and Swedish and Danish is – but beyond that its connections are somewhat dubious. Some of the more easterly Indo- European languages have or had similar-looking forms, including Old Iranian isu- ‘frosty, icy’, modern Iranian yak ‘ice’, and Afghan asaī ‘frost’, which suggest the possibility of a common source. Iceberg [18] was perhaps an adaptation of Danish and Norwegian isberg, literally ‘ice mountain’.
ice (n.)
Old English is "ice" (also the name of the rune for -i-), from Proto-Germanic *isa- (cognates: Old Norse iss, Old Frisian is, Dutch ijs, German Eis), with no certain cognates beyond Germanic, though possible relatives are Avestan aexa- "frost, ice," isu- "frosty, icy;" Afghan asai "frost." Slang meaning "diamonds" is attested from 1906.
Ice cube attested from 1904. Ice age attested from 1832. To break the ice "to make the first opening to any attempt" is from 1580s, metaphoric of making passages for boats by breaking up river ice though in modern use usually with implications of "cold reserve."
ice (v.)
c. 1400, ysen, "cover with ice," from ice (n.). Related: Iced; icing.
雙語例句
1. His mother's voice was one he knew; ice cold and deadly.
母親的聲音是他很熟悉的：冰冷、無情。
來自柯林斯例句
2. The deal was put on ice for three months.
該交易被擱置了3個月。
來自柯林斯例句
3. The only sound was the crackle of breaking ice.
唯一的聲響是冰層噼噼啪啪碎裂的聲音。
來自柯林斯例句
4. The $40 million-a-month aid payments will remain on ice.
每月4,000萬美元的援助款項將繼續擱置下去。
來自柯林斯例句
5. The purpose of the visit was to navigate into an ice-filled fiord.