To turn into ice or become very cold and hard, or to suddenly stop moving, often from fear or shock.
From Old English 'frēosan,' related to Germanic languages, originally describing the physical state change of water to ice, extended metaphorically to stopping or becoming rigid.
Water is weird—it freezes at 0°C and becomes less dense (floats), unlike almost every other liquid, which is why ice sits on water instead of sinking; without this quirk, frozen lakes would sink and aquatic life would die!
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