ices

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of ice.

   The caterer arranged a tray of colorful ices for the guests.

   Vendors at the fair sold lemon and raspberry ices all afternoon.

   Note

   A plural for a noun that usually refuses one. Ice is normally a mass word, like water, so the -s form signals that separate things are being counted. That happens with portions of frozen dessert, and in planetary science, where the ices of an ice giant are distinct volatile substances such as water, ammonia and carbon dioxide, not necessarily frozen at all. For a frozen pond or a cold drink, the singular stays.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of ice.

   The pastry chef ices each cupcake by hand before the display opens.

   She ices her ankle whenever it swells after a long run.

   Note

   One spelling covers several verbs, and the object usually decides which. With no object it means freezing, as when a road ices. With one, it can mean cooling (she ices her ankle), frosting a cake, or, in hockey, shooting the puck the length of the playing surface. Position in the sentence separates it from the plural noun: a defender ices the puck, but a caterer serves ices.

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