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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
thaw \thaw\, noun 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.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
thaw \thaw\ (th[add]), verb (used without an object) [imp. & p. p. {Thawed} (th[add]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Thawing}.] [AS. [thorn][=a]wian, [thorn][=a]wan; akin to D. dovijen, G. tauen, thauen (cf. also verdauen to digest, OHG. douwen, firdouwen), Icel. [thorn]eyja, Sw. t["o]a, Dan. t["o]e, and perhaps to Gr. th'kein 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. Compare {cold}[4], adjective and {hard}[6], adjective [1913 Webster +PJC]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
thaw \thaw\, verb (used with an object) To cause (frozen things, as earth, snow, ice) to melt, soften, or dissolve.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
thaw
noun
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: {melt}, {thawing}, {melting}]
2: warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt; "they welcomed the spring thaw" [syn: {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"
verb: 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}, {unfreeze}, {unthaw}, {dethaw}, {melt}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
56 Moby Thesaurus words for "thaw": 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
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