frostwork

[ frawst-wurk, frost- ]
See synonyms for frostwork on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the delicate tracery formed by frost, especially on glass.

  2. similar ornamentation, as on metal.

Origin of frostwork

1
First recorded in 1640–50; frost + work

Words Nearby frostwork

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use frostwork in a sentence

  • When they are real, they are not glass threads or frostwork, but the solidest thing we know.

    Essays, First Series | Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • The frostwork had so covered the window-panes that it was hardly possible to get a glimpse at the scenery outside.

  • A red rash, with the pattern of frostwork on a Minnesota windowpane in January, was across his lean, handsome face.

    The Planet Strappers | Raymond Zinke Gallun
  • Obstacles, insuperable to the intellect of any adviser, shall melt away like frostwork before a ray from the celestial sun.

  • The little frostwork which Titmouse had thrown around his heart, began to melt like snow under sunbeams.

British Dictionary definitions for frostwork

frostwork

/ (ˈfrɒstˌwɜːk) /


noun
  1. the patterns made by frost on glass, metal, etc

  2. similar artificial ornamentation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012