freeze

v. To lock an evolving software distribution or document against changes so
it can be released with some hope of stability. Carries the strong
implication that the item in question will unfreeze at some future date. OK,
fix that bug and we'll freeze for release. There are more specific
constructions on this term. A feature freeze , for example, locks out
modifications intended to introduce new features but still allows bugfixes
and completion of existing features; a code freeze connotes no more changes
at all. At Sun Microsystems and elsewhere, one may also hear references to
code slush that is, an almost-but-not-quite frozen state.

