cold frame

noun

1. a bottomless, boxlike structure, usually covered with glass or transparent plastic, and the bed of earth that it covers, used to protect plants.

cold frame

noun

1. an unheated wooden frame with a glass top, used to protect young plants from the cold

Word History and Origins

Origin of cold frame¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

What would be better: a greenhouse or a modest cold frame?

From Seattle Times

“Sometimes when I go to the cold frames to pull something out, and I have half-forgotten what’s in there, it’s like pulling a surprise out of a grab bag,” she said.

From Seattle Times

Don’t open your cold frame if the temperature is below freezing, during a snowstorm, first thing in the morning, or in the evening or beyond, Warnock says.

From Washington Post

An open cold frame would be ideal, where they could be left over the winter.

From Seattle Times

Buy Nothing Atwater member Kirsten Eggers had long been meaning to build cold frames with the doors that had been collecting dust in her backyard.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• back yard
• bed
• field
• greenhouse
• nursery
• patio
• terrace