Definition

Noun: The specific temperature at which a liquid substance transitions into a solid state under standard atmospheric pressure. For a pure substance, this is a constant value and is identical to its melting point.

Usage

The term "freezing point" is used to describe a precise physical property of a substance. It is commonly discussed in scientific, meteorological, and everyday contexts when referring to conditions where liquids solidify. * The freezing point of pure water is 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. * Adding salt to water lowers its freezing point, which is why it is used to melt ice on roads. * Scientists recorded the freezing point of the new compound.

Advanced Usage

• "Depression of freezing point": A colligative property in chemistry where the freezing point of a solvent is lowered by adding a solute. This principle is used in antifreeze and in determining molecular weights.
  • The experiment demonstrated the freezing point depression caused by the dissolved salt.

Variants and Related Words

• Freeze (verb): The process of becoming solid due to cold.
  • The lake will freeze tonight.
• Melting point (noun): The temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid, which for a pure substance is the same as its freezing point.
  • The melting point of gold is very high.
• Solidification point (noun): A synonym for freezing point, often used in technical contexts.
• Cryoscopic (adjective): Relating to the measurement of freezing points.
  • Cryoscopic techniques are used in the study.*

Synonyms

• Solidification temperature
• Cryoscopic constant (when referring to the specific constant for a solvent)

Related Phrases

• Below freezing (point): A phrase describing temperatures lower than 0°C/32°F.
  • Temperatures are expected to fall below freezing tonight.
• Freezing-point depression: The phenomenon and the quantitative measurement of the freezing point being lowered.
  • The degree of freezing-point depression depends on the concentration of the solution.

Noun

1. the temperature below which a liquid turns into a solid