Word To Use Today: frazil.

Frazil is a jumble of small pieces of ice. It's to be found in water that's moving too fast to form an ice-sheet.


This frazil is in Yosemite National Park, California.


You say it FRAZil - to rhyme with Angela Brazil (though not, of course, with the beautiful country of Brazil).

Can there be a more loveable word in the language than frazil?

Well, if there is, I haven't found it yet.

I'm going to keep on looking, though.

Word To Use Today: frazil. Hint for use: Call this midsummer? I've practically got frazil forming in my lemonade!

The word frazil comes from the Canadian French frasil, from the French fraisil, cinders, and before that from the Latin fax, which means torch.

From fire to ice in one word. How about that!