thaw

• thow

From Middle English thowen, thawen, from Old English þāwian, from Proto-West Germanic *þauwjan, from Proto-Germanic *þawjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂- (“to melt”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /θɔː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /θɔ/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /θɑ/

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• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /θoː/
• Rhymes: -ɔː

thaw (third-person singular simple present thaws, present participle thawing, simple past and past participle thawed)

1. (intransitive) To gradually melt, dissolve, or become fluid; to soften from frozen

   the ice thaws

2. (impersonal, intransitive) To become sufficiently warm to melt ice and snow — said in reference to the weather

   It's beginning to thaw.

3. (intransitive, figuratively) To grow gentle or genial.

   Her anger has thawed.

4. (transitive) To gradually cause frozen things (such as earth, snow, ice) to melt, soften, or dissolve.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 167:

     Mor. Miſlike me not for my complexion, / The ſhadowed liuerie of the burniſht ſunne, / To whom I am a neighbour,and neere bred. / Bring me the faireſt creature North-ward borne, / Where Phœbus fire ſcarce thawes the yſicles, / And let vs make inciſion for your loue, / To proue whoſe blood is reddeſt,his or mine.

   • 1700, Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; , London: Jacob Tonson, , →OCLC:

     The frame of burnish'd steel, that cast a glare / From far, and seemed to thaw the freezing air.

thaw (plural thaws)

1. The melting of ice, snow, or other frozen or congealed matter; the transformation of ice or the like into the state of a fluid; liquefaction by heat of anything congealed by frost
2. a period of weather warm enough to melt that which is frozen
   • 1660, Dryden, Astraea Redux:

     raging floods pursue their hasty thaw; / Our thaw was mild , the cold not chased away

3. (figuratively) A period of relaxation, of reduced reserve, tension, or hostility or of increased friendliness or understanding.

• dethaw
• unthaw

• snowmelt

• HAWT, Wath, hawt, wath, what

• IPA^(key): /θau̯/

thaw

1. Aspirate mutation of taw.