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   thaw

   /THô/

   verb

   • 1. (of ice, snow, or another frozen substance, such as food) become liquid or soft as a result of warming: "the river thawed and barges of food began to reach the capital" Similar defrostOpposite freeze
   • ▪ the weather becomes warmer and melts snow and ice. Similar meltunfreezesoftenliquefydissolveunthawOpposite freezesolidify
   • ▪ make (something) warm enough to become liquid or soft: "European exporters simply thawed their beef before unloading"
   • ▪ (of a part of the body) become warm enough to stop feeling numb: "Ryan began to feel his ears and toes thaw out"
   • ▪ make or become friendlier or more cordial: "she thawed out sufficiently to allow a smile to appear" Similar become friendlierbecome more genialbecome more sociableloosen uprelaxbecome more relaxed

   noun

   • 1. a period of warmer weather that thaws ice and snow: "the thaw came yesterday afternoon"
   • ▪ an increase in friendliness or cordiality: "a thaw in relations between the two countries"

   Word Origin Old Englishthawian (verb), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch dooien. The noun (first recorded in Middle English) developed its figurative use in the mid 19th century.

   Derivatives

   • 1. thawless adjective

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • T

     1

   • H

     4

   • A

     1

   • W

     4

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