icebound

[ ahys-bound ]

adjective

1. held fast or hemmed in by ice; frozen in:

   an icebound ship.

2. obstructed or shut off by ice:

   an icebound harbor.

icebound

/ ˈaɪsˌbaʊnd /

adjective

1. covered or made immobile by ice; frozen in

   an icebound ship

Word History and Origins

Origin of icebound¹

First recorded in 1650–60; ice + -bound ¹

Example Sentences

The image of this lonely, troubled young woman spending her last moments among the icebound wreckage before walking naked into the dark is a haunting one.

From New York Times

The icebound river landscape may be at least 34 million years old, meaning that it would date to right before ice encrusted Antarctica.

From Scientific American

With climate change, shipping routes are becoming less icebound and easier to navigate, making the Arctic more accessible and attractive for competitive commercial exploitation, as well as military adventurism.

From New York Times

As diphtheria - a serious and sometimes fatal bacterial infection - spread among Nome's people, its port was icebound, meaning antitoxin would have to be delivered overland.

From Reuters

When he writes that one of the icebound scientists was “mesmerized by its character; its power; its spectacular unsettling sounds — sometimes cracking like gunfire, sometimes shrieking as it split and cleaved,” we understand the fascination.

From New York Times

Related Words

• chilled
• frigid
• ice-cold
• iced
• icy