freeze
n 1: the withdrawal of heat to change something from a liquid to
a solid [syn: {freezing}]
2: weather cold enough to cause freezing [syn: {frost}]
3: an interruption or temporary suspension of progress or
movement; "a halt in the arms race"; "a nuclear freeze"
[syn: {halt}]
4: fixing (of prices or wages etc) at a particular level; "a
freeze on hiring"
v 1: change to ice; "The water in the bowl froze" [ant: {boil}]
2: stop moving or become immobilized; "When he saw the police
car he froze" [syn: {stop dead}]
3: be cold; "I could freeze to death in this office when the
air conditioning is turned on"
4: cause to freeze; "Freeze the leftover food"
5: stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it;
"Suspend the aid to the war-torn country" [syn: {suspend}]
6: be very cold, below the freezing point; "It is freezing in
Kalamazoo"
7: change from a liquid to a solid when cold; "Water freezes at
32 degrees Fahrenheit" [syn: {freeze out}, {freeze down}]
8: prohibit the conversion or use of (assets); "Blocked funds";
"Freeze the assets of this hostile government" [syn: {block},
{immobilize}, {immobilise}] [ant: {unblock}, {unblock}]
9: anesthetize by cold
10: suddenly behave coldly and formally; "She froze when she saw
her ex-husband"
[also: {frozen}, {froze}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0
freeze v. To lock an evolving software distribution or document against
changes so it can be released with some hope of stability. Carries the
strong implication that the item in question will `unfreeze' at some
future date. "OK, fix that bug and we'll freeze for release."
There are more specific constructions on this term. A `feature
freeze', for example, locks out modifications intended to introduce new
features but still allows bugfixes and completion of existing features;
a `code freeze' connotes no more changes at all. At Sun Microsystems and
elsewhere, one may also hear references to `code slush' -- that is, an
almost-but-not-quite frozen state.
Source: The Jargon File
