water ice

1 2.6

A frozen sweet made from fruit juice and sugar without milk, with a soft texture

noun
/ˈwɔːtər aɪs/

: granizado

Philadelphia is famous for its delicious water ice stands.

Examples

The kids enjoyed a lemon water ice after playing in the park.
During the summer, I love eating water ice in all different flavors.
I love water ice on hot summer days.
The kids enjoyed water ices at the park.
On a hot summer day, we enjoyed a refreshing cup of water ice made with fresh fruit juice.
The children couldn't get enough of the colorful water ice sold at the street fair.
At the beach, I bought a lemon-flavored water ice to cool down from the heat.

Synonyms

ice

vswater ice

414 1.0

A cold sweet dessert made from fruit juice and sugar without milk

is made from fruit juice and sugar rather than just flavoring

sorbet

vswater ice

16 2.7

A frozen sweet made from fruit juice or crushed fruit without milk, with a soft, slushy texture

uses mainly fruit juice and sugar rather than puree, making a mushier texture

frozen dessert

vswater ice

1 2.7

A sweet cold food made by freezing milk or fruit

is a specific type using no milk and fruit juice with mushy texture

Surface Forms

water ice singular

water ices plural

Morphology

water + ice

The phrase is compositionally analyzable — 'water' + 'ice' suggests frozen water — so learners can guess a frozen product, but the specific sense 'sweet, fruit-based frozen dessert with no milk' is a culturally specific, lexicalized meaning (regional term for Italian ice) that is not fully predictable from the parts. A B1 learner who knows the words may infer something frozen but would likely not derive the dessert contours without prior exposure.

Etymology

Water ice gets its name from the simple picture of flavored water frozen into ice. Imagine a cup of sweet, slushy water turned cold — that's why the name refers to a soft, milk-free frozen treat ('a frozen dessert containing no milk').