Adjacent Words

Thaw definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THAW, v.i.
1. To melt, dissolve or become fluid, as ice or snow. [It is remarkable that this word is used only of things that congeal by frost. We never say, to thaw metal of any kind.]
2. To become so warm as to melt ice and snow; used of weather.
THAW, v.t. To melt; to dissolve; as ice, snow, hail or frozen earth.
THAW, n. The melting of ice or snow; the resolution of ice into the state of a fluid; liquefaction by heat, of any thing congealed by frost.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid; "the power failure caused a refrigerator melt that was a disaster"; "the thawing of a frozen turkey takes several hours" [syn: thaw, melt, thawing, melting]
2: warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt; "they welcomed the spring thaw" [syn: thaw, thawing, warming]
3: a relaxation or slackening of tensions or reserve; becoming less hostile; "the thaw between the United States and Russia has led to increased cooperation in world affairs" v
1: become or cause to become soft or liquid; "The sun melted the ice"; "the ice thawed"; "the ice cream melted"; "The heat melted the wax"; "The giant iceberg dissolved over the years during the global warming phase"; "dethaw the meat" [syn: dissolve, thaw, unfreeze, unthaw, dethaw, melt]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English thawian; akin to Old High German douwen to thaw, Greek t?kein to melt, Latin tab?re to waste away Date: before 12th century transitive verb to cause to thaw intransitive verb 1. a. to go from a frozen to a liquid state ; melt b. to become free of the effect (as stiffness, numbness, or hardness) of cold as a result of exposure to warmth 2. to be warm enough to melt ice and snow — used with it in reference to the weather 3. to abandon aloofness, reserve, or hostility ; unbend 4. to become mobile, active, or susceptible to change II. noun Date: 15th century 1. the action, fact, or process of thawing 2. a period of weather warm enough to thaw ice <the January thaw> 3. the action or process of becoming less aloof, less hostile, or more genial <a thaw in international relations>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. (often foll. by out) (of ice or snow or a frozen thing) pass into a liquid or unfrozen state. 2 intr. (usu. prec. by it as subject) (of the weather) become warm enough to melt ice etc. (it began to thaw). 3 intr. become warm enough to lose numbness etc. 4 intr. become less cold or stiff in manner; become genial. 5 tr. (often foll. by out) cause to thaw. 6 tr. make cordial or animated. --n. 1 the act or an instance of thawing. 2 the warmth of weather that thaws (a thaw has set in). 3 Polit. a relaxation of control or restriction. Derivatives: thawless adj. Etymology: OE thawian f. WG; orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thaw Thaw, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Thawed; p. pr. & vb. n. Thawing.] [AS. [thorn][=a]wian, [thorn][=a]wan; akin to D. dovijen, G. tauen, thauen (cf. also verdauen 8digest, OHG. douwen, firdouwen), Icel. [thorn]eyja, Sw. t["o]a, Dan. t["o]e, and perhaps to Gr. ? to melt. [root]56.] 1. To melt, dissolve, or become fluid; to soften; -- said of that which is frozen; as, the ice thaws. 2. To become so warm as to melt ice and snow; -- said in reference to the weather, and used impersonally. 3. Fig.: To grow gentle or genial.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thaw Thaw, v. t. To cause (frozen things, as earth, snow, ice) to melt, soften, or dissolve.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thaw Thaw, n. The melting of ice, snow, or other congealed matter; the resolution of ice, or the like, into the state of a fluid; liquefaction by heat of anything congealed by frost; also, a warmth of weather sufficient to melt that which is congealed. --Dryden.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(thaws, thawing, thawed) 1. When ice, snow, or something else that is frozen thaws, it melts. It's so cold the snow doesn't get a chance to thaw... VERB: V 2. A thaw is a period of warmer weather when snow and ice melt, usually at the end of winter. We slogged through the mud of an early spring thaw. N-COUNT 3. When you thaw frozen food or when it thaws, you leave it in a place where it can reach room temperature so that it is ready for use. Always thaw pastry thoroughly... The food in the freezer had thawed during a power cut. VERB: V n, V • Thaw out means the same as thaw. Thaw it out completely before reheating in a saucepan... I remember to thaw out the chicken before I leave home. PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron), also V P 4. If something thaws relations between people or if relations thaw, they become friendly again after a period of being unfriendly. At least this second meeting had helped to thaw the atmosphere... It took up to Christmas for political relations to thaw. VERB: V n, V • Thaw is also a noun. His visit is one of the most striking results of the thaw in relations between East and West. N-SING

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. Melt (after freezing), dissolve, liquefy, become fluid. II. v. a. Melt (something frozen), dissolve.

Moby Thesaurus

bend, colliquate, cut, decoagulate, decoct, defrost, deliquesce, dissolve, fluidify, fluidize, flux, forbear, forgive, fuse, fusibility, fusion, give quarter, have mercy upon, have pity, heat up, hold in solution, infuse, leach, let up on, liquation, liquefy, liquesce, liquidize, lixiviate, melt, melt down, melting, pardon, percolate, refine, relax, relent, render, reprieve, run, running, smelt, soften, solubilize, solve, spare, take pity on, thawing, thermoplasticity, thin, unbend, unclot, unfreeze, warm, warm up, yield