icing
icing Lexical Profile
icing Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A sweet mixture, typically made from powdered sugar, liquid, and butter or egg whites, used to coat or decorate baked goods such as cakes and cookies.
"She carefully piped pink icing around the edges of the birthday cake."
An infraction in ice hockey that occurs when a player shoots the puck across both the center red line and the opposing team's goal line without it being touched by another player.
"The referee blew the whistle and called icing, bringing the face-off back to the defending zone."
The formation of a layer of ice on a surface, particularly on the wings or fuselage of an aircraft or the superstructure of a ship, which can dangerously affect performance.
"The pilot requested a change in altitude to avoid severe icing conditions in the thick clouds."
Word Nuance & Usage
In American English, 'icing' and 'frosting' are often used interchangeably for baked goods, though culinary professionals typically use 'icing' to refer to a thinner, glossier coating, and 'frosting' for a thicker, fluffier mixture.
• Rhymes for icing
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the verb 'ice' (to cover with ice or a sugar coating resembling ice), combined with the gerundial suffix '-ing'. Its culinary use for decorating cakes dates back to the mid-18th century.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.