verb
helar
freeze
Definition & meaning
The verb helar primarily means to freeze, to turn into ice, or to cause something to become extremely cold. Depending on the context, it can be used in several ways:
- Meteorological: To freeze due to low temperatures. This is often used in the impersonal form, meaning "to frost" or "to be freezing cold" outside.
- Physical state: To congeal or solidify a liquid (like water or food) by lowering its temperature.
- Figurative: To cause a strong feeling of shock, fear, or indifference in a person, often described as having one's blood run cold.
Grammar & Word origin
Grammar:
- helar is a regular -ar verb, but it is a radical-changing verb of the e > ie type. In the present tense, the 'e' in the stem becomes 'ie' in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros forms (e.g., yo hielo, tú hielas, ellos hielan).
- It is often used impersonally (third-person singular) when referring to the weather.
Word origin:
- It derives from the Latin word gelare, which means "to freeze" or "to congeal." This is the same root that gave English words like "gel," "gelid," and "congeal."
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms:
- Congelar (to freeze)
- Escarchar (to cover with frost)
- Solidificar (to solidify)
- Paralizar (often used figuratively to mean paralyzed by fear)
Antonyms:
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Examples
En invierno hiela mucho aquí.verb
In winter it freezes a lot here.
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