ice-house
Definition
- Noun:
- A building for storing ice: An "ice-house" is a structure designed to store ice, typically harvested in winter, for use throughout the year. It is often insulated to prevent melting.
- A facility for making ice: In American English, "ice-house" can also refer to a building where ice is manufactured or processed for commercial purposes.
Usage Examples
- (A storage building for harvested ice.)
- (A facility for making or processing ice.)
Advanced Usage
- "ice-house effect": A term used in architecture or engineering to describe a cooling system based on stored ice.
- The building's design uses an ice-house effect to regulate temperature naturally. (A passive cooling method inspired by traditional ice storage.)
Variants and Related Words
- Icehouse (n): The same as "ice-house"; the hyphen is often omitted in modern usage.
- We visited a restored icehouse from the 19th century. (A historical building for ice storage.)
- Icebox (n): A refrigerator or a container for keeping food cold, historically using ice.
- She stored the milk in the icebox. (A cold storage device, often a predecessor to modern fridges.)
Synonyms
- Cold store: A place for keeping items at low temperatures.
- Ice cellar: An underground chamber for storing ice.
- Ice plant: A facility that produces ice for commercial use (more specific to manufacturing).
Related Idioms
- "Out of the ice-house": An informal phrase meaning something is no longer in cold storage or is now being used.
- The old documents were taken out of the ice-house for review. (Removed from a cold storage area.)