quick-freeze

English

Etymology

quick +‎ freeze

Noun

quick-freeze (plural quick-freezes)

1. A chamber or device in which the temperature may be rapidly lowered to below to freezing point.

Verb

quick-freeze (third-person singular simple present quick-freezes, present participle quick-freezing, simple past quick-froze, past participle quick-frozen)

1. (transitive) To rapidly reduce the temperature of something to below the freezing point, thereby preserving some aspect of it (such as position or flavor) that would otherwise be lost during the freezing process.

   Sandra liked to buy blueberries that had been quick-frozen, since she thought that their taste was better preserved that way.

2. (transitive) Preserved in an unaltered state, reminiscent of quick-freezing.

   Ed liked to pore through his old photographs, looking back over moments of his life quick-frozen in time.