Hoarfrost (4)
I believe the answer is:
rime
'hoarfrost' is the definition.
(I know that hoarfrost can be written as rime)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for rime that I've seen before include "Hoarfrost" , "Kind of frost in mire" , "dated poetry" , "Type of frost" , "Ice" .)