thaw  (thô)
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v. thawed, thaw·ing, thaws v.intr.1. To change from a frozen solid to a liquid by gradual warming. 2. To lose stiffness, numbness, or impermeability by being warmed: left the frozen turkey out until it thawed; thawed out by sitting next to the stove. 3. To become warm enough for snow and ice to melt. 4. To become less formal, aloof, or reserved. n.1. The process of thawing. 2. A period of warm weather during which ice and snow melt. 3. A relaxation of reserve, restraints, or tensions.
[Middle English thawen, from Old English thawian.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
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