[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

thaw \thaw\, v. t.
   to cause frozen things, as earth, snow, ice to melt,
   soften, or dissolve.
   1913 webster

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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.
   1913 webster

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

thaw \thaw\ thadd, v. i. imp.  p. p. thawed thaddd;
   p. pr.  vb. n. thawing. as. thorn=awian,
   thorn=awan; akin to d. dovijen, g. tauen, thauen cf.
   also verdauen to digest, ohg. douwen, firdouwen, icel.
   thorneyja, sw. t"oa, dan. t"oe, and perhaps to gr.
   th`kein to melt. root56.
   1. to melt, dissolve, or become fluid; to soften; -- said of
      that which is frozen; as, the ice thaws.
      1913 webster

   2. to become so warm as to melt ice and snow; -- said in
      reference to the weather, and used impersonally.
      1913 webster

   3. fig.: to grow gentle or genial. compare cold4, a. and
      hard6, a.
      1913 webster +pjc
see also:
thawed thawing cold hard 

[4] : WordNet (r) 2.0

thaw
     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: 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"
     v : 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
see also:
melt thawing melting warming dissolve unfreeze 
unthaw dethaw 

[5] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

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

Thaw >> T Words
Thaw, definition of term: Thaw
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