Turned into ice or preserved by extreme cold; unable to move or act; past participle of 'freeze.'
From Old English frosen, past participle of freosan 'to freeze,' from Proto-Germanic freusan. The figurative sense of being unable to move developed in Middle English, extending from the physical paralysis cold can cause.
Frozen is wonderfully versatile, describing everything from ice cream to computer crashes to emotional paralysis. The word captures how cold doesn't just change temperature - it fundamentally transforms matter and behavior, which is why we use it metaphorically for anything that becomes rigid, stuck, or unresponsive.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.