frost-bound
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- (of ground or soil) made hard and solid by frost: Describes the physical state of earth that has become rigid, compacted, and difficult to penetrate due to freezing temperatures.
Usage
- The primary and most common usage of "frost-bound" is as an adjective to describe ground, soil, or earth that is frozen solid.
- It is typically used in descriptive or literary contexts related to weather, agriculture, gardening, or winter landscapes.
Examples
- Adjective:
- The farmers could not plant the seeds because the fields were frost-bound.
- Walking was difficult on the frost-bound path.
- The frost-bound earth yielded nothing to the gardener's spade.
Advanced Usage
- Metaphorical Use: While rare, "frost-bound" can be used metaphorically to describe something that is rigid, unyielding, or emotionally cold.
- His frost-bound heart showed no mercy. (This usage is poetic and not the primary definition.)
Variants and Related Words
- Frosty (adj): Covered with or resembling frost; very cold.
- The frosty morning made the grass crunch underfoot.
- Frozen (adj): Turned into ice; hardened by cold.
- The frozen lake was safe for skating.
- Permafrost (n): A thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year.
- Buildings in the Arctic must be constructed on stable permafrost.
Synonyms
- Frozen: Hardened into or covered by ice.
- Ice-bound: Locked in or covered by ice (often used for waterways).
- Hard as iron: (Idiomatic) Extremely hard, like frozen ground.
Antonyms
- Thawed: Having become soft or liquid after being frozen.
- Pliable: Easily bent; flexible.
- Arable: (Of land) suitable for growing crops, implying it is workable and not frozen.
Related Phrases/Idioms
- Frozen solid: A common phrase meaning completely hardened by freezing, similar to "frost-bound."
- The ground was frozen solid after a week of sub-zero temperatures.
Adjective
- (of the ground) made hard by frost