From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Freeze \Freeze\, v. i. [imp. Froze (fr[=o]z); p. p. Frozen
(fr[=o]"z'n); p. pr. & vb. n. Freezing.] [OE. fresen,
freosen, AS. fre['o]san; akin to D. vriezen, OHG. iosan, G.
frieren, Icel. frjsa, Sw. frysa, Dan. fryse, Goth. frius
cold, frost, and prob. to L. prurire to itch, E. prurient,
cf. L. prna a burning coal, pruina hoarfrost, Skr. prushv[=a]
ice, prush to spirt. ? 18. Cf. Frost.]
1. To become congealed by cold; to be changed from a liquid
to a solid state by the abstraction of heat; to be
hardened into ice or a like solid body.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Water freezes at 32[deg] above zero by Fahrenheit's
thermometer; mercury freezes at 40[deg] below zero.
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2. To become chilled with cold, or as with cold; to suffer
loss of animation or life by lack of heat; as, the blood
freezes in the veins.
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To freeze up (Fig.), to become formal and cold in demeanor.
[Colloq.]
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Freezing \Freez"ing\, a.
Tending to freeze; for freezing; hence, cold or distant in
manner. -- Frrez"ing*ly, adv.
[1913 Webster]
Freezing machine. See Ice machine, under Ice.
Freezing mixture, a mixture (of salt and snow or of
chemical salts) for producing intense cold.
Freezing point, that degree of a thermometer at which a
fluid begins to freeze; -- applied particularly to water,
whose freezing point is at 32[deg] Fahr., and at 0[deg]
Centigrade.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
freezing
n 1: the withdrawal of heat to change something from a liquid to
a solid [syn: freeze, freezing]