hoar frost
/ˈhɔːfrɒst
/noun [mass noun]
A greyish-white crystalline deposit of frozen water vapour formed in clear still weather on vegetation, fences, etc.It is actually dew if it forms at temperatures above freezing, but if it forms below freezing it is hoar frost....
- He opens his feature on the shoreline of the savage Barents Sea as a group of 30 men trudge up a snow-covered dune, eyebrows laced with hoar frost.
- Seely states that surface hoar frost forms only during the summer due to sunshine and fog.
Synonyms
frost, ground frost, rime, rime frost, verglas
informal Jack Frost
archaic hoar