thaw
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thaw¹
- /θɔː/ UK
- /θoː/ Australia, British, New Zealand
- /θɔ/ US
- /θɑ/ US, cot caught merger
- /θɒ/ Canada
- /θɔ/ Scotland
Sounds like Thor (non-rhotic), for (non-rhotic, th-fronting), four (non-rhotic, th-fronting, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː
Where it comes from
The verb is derived from Middle English thawen, thowen (“to melt (ice, snow, etc.), thaw”), from Old English þāwian, *þāwan (“to thaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *þauwjan (“to melt, thaw; to digest; to dissolve”), from Proto-Germanic *þawjaną (“to thaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂- (“to melt; to flow, stream”).
The noun is derived from Late Middle English thawe, thowe (“melting of ice, snow, etc., thawing”), from thawen, thowen (verb) (see above).
cognates
* Dutch dooien (“to thaw”)
* German tauen (“to thaw”)
* German Low German deien (“to thaw”)
* Icelandic þeyja (“to thaw”)
* Saterland Frisian daie, dauje (“to thaw”)
* Swedish töa (“to thaw”)
* West Frisian teie (“to thaw”)
verb thaws · thawing · thawed · thawn · thaw
- To gradually cause (something frozen, such as earth, ice, or snow) to melt or soften by raising the temperature. Sette the potte to the fyre to thawe the water: […]
- To gradually cause (someone or something that is very cold) to warm up. [M]y very lippes might freeze to my teeth, my tongue to the roofe of my mouth, my heart in my belly, ere I ſhould come by a fire to thavv me, […]
- To cause (something inactive) to become active; also, to cause (something unfeeling) to have feelings. [N]ovv my loue is thavv'd, / VVhich like a vvaxen Image 'gainſt a fire / Beares no impreſſion of the thing it vvas.
- To cause (someone or their feelings that are reserved or unfriendly) to become friendly or gentle.
- To cause (something rigid) to become limp. "Speak aloud, my lord," said Elizabeth, "and at farther distance, so please you—your breath thaws our ruff. What have you to ask of us?"
-
Of something frozen, such as earth, ice, or snow: to gradually melt or soften as a result of the temperature being raised.
the ice thaws
Similar: de-ice
- Of someone or something that is very cold: to gradually warm up. The bog's green harper, thawing from his sleep, / Twangs a hoarse note and tried a shortened leap; […]
- With the dummy pronoun it: of the weather: to become sufficiently warm for ice, snow, etc., to melt. It’s beginning to thaw.
- Of a person or their feelings that are reserved or unfriendly: to become friendly or gentle. Her anger has thawed.
- Of something inactive: to become active; also, of something unfeeling: to develop feelings.
noun thaws
- A gradual melting or softening of something frozen (such as earth, ice, or snow) when the temperature rises; the transformation of something frozen into a fluid or semifluid.
- A gradual warming up of someone or something that is very cold. raging floods pursue their hasty thaw; / Our thaw was mild , the cold not chased away
- Of something inactive: an act of becoming active; also, of something unfeeling: an act of developing feelings.
- Of a person who is reserved or unfriendly: an act of becoming friendly or gentle.
- A period of relaxation of restrictions in a country or state; also, a period of increased friendliness or understanding, or of reduced hostility or tension in relations, between states.
- A period of weather warm enough to melt ice, snow, etc.
Thaw²
Where it comes from
Anglicized from Welsh Ddawan, ddaw.
proper noun
- A river in South Wales which flows into the Bristol Channel at Aberthaw.
Thaw³
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Burmese သော် (sau). It is also an English and Scottish surname, but without a certain origin.
proper noun Thaws
- A surname from Burmese.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: unthaw, unfreeze, melting, melt, warming, defrosting, defrost, deice, freeze, meltwater, snowmelt, ice, snow, smelting, warmth, iron
Translations
Every language
verb (transitive) to cause (someone or their feelings that are reserved or unfriendly) to become friendly or gentle; (intransitive) of a person or their feelings tha
| Français | fondre |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | entspannen |
verb (''transitive'') to gradually cause (something frozen, such as earth, ice, or snow) to melt or soften by raising the temperature
| Español | descongelar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 溶かす tokasu |
| Français | fondre |
| Deutsch | auftauen |
| Italiano | fondere, scongelare |
| Ελληνικά | αποψύχω apopsýcho, ξεπαγώνω xepagóno |
| Română | dezgheța |
| Русский | раста́пливать rastáplivatʹ, растопи́ть rastopítʹ |
| العربية | أَذَابَ ʔaḏāba |
| עברית | הפשיר hifshír |
verb (''intransitive'') of something frozen, such as earth, ice, or snow: to gradually melt or soften as a result of the temperature being raised
| Español | descongelarse, deshelarse, deshielarse |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 녹다 nokda |
| 日本語 | 溶ける tokeru |
| 中文 | 渐融 jiànróng, 解凍 /解冻 jiědòng, 融化 rónghuà |
| हिन्दी | पिघलना pighalnā |
| Português | descongelar, derreter |
| Français | dégeler, fondre |
| Deutsch | tauen, schmelzen |
| Italiano | fondersi, scongelarsi |
| Ελληνικά | λιώνω lióno |
| Română | decongela, a se dezgheța |
| Русский | отта́ивать ottáivatʹ, отта́ять ottájatʹ, раста́ивать rastáivatʹ, та́ять tájatʹ, раста́ять rastájatʹ |
| العربية | ذَابَ ḏāba |
| עברית | הפשיר hifshír |
noun gradual melting or softening of something frozen when the temperature rises
| Español | derretimiento, descongelación, deshelar, deshielo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 解氷 kaihyō, 霜解け shimodoke, 雪解け yukidoke |
| 中文 | 解凍 /解冻 jiědòng, 融化 rónghuà |
| हिन्दी | द्रवण dravaṇ, गलन galan, हिमद्रवण himadravaṇ, हिमक्षरण himakṣaraṇ, पिघलाव pighlāv |
| Português | degelo |
| Français | dégel, fusion |
| Deutsch | Schmelze |
| Italiano | disgelo, scongelamento |
| Ελληνικά | απόψυξη apópsyxi, ξεπάγωμα xepágoma |
| Русский | та́яние tájanije, оттепель ottepelʹ |
| עברית | הפשרה hafshará |
noun period of relaxation of restrictions in a country or state; period of increased friendliness or understanding, or of reduced hostility or tension in relations,
| Français | dégel, réchauffement de l'atmosphère |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Tauwetter |
Talk about this word "thaw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/thaw. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. thaw. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/thaw "thaw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/thaw.Cite this
@misc{thaw_2026,
title = {thaw},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/thaw},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
