See Also: thaw(1)(dictionary)
thaw(2)(dictionary)
thaw 1, verb(dictionary)
thaw 2, noun(dictionary)

thaw(1) (iou)



thaw noun. . LME.
[from the verb.]
The melting of ice and snow after a frost; an instance of this; a condition of the weather marked by the rise of temperature above the freezing point. LME.
silver thaw: see SILVER noun & adjective.
J. Clavell We were trapped in the ice and had to wait for the thaw. P. Fitzgerald The splintering of ice in the first spring thaw. fig.: Bunyan If the Sun of Righteousness will arise upon him, his frozen Heart shall feel a Thaw.
A reduction in the coldness or formality of relations; an increase in friendliness or cordiality. Also, a relaxation of esp. political control or restriction; a lessening of harshness, a liberalization. M19.
Times The hopes and naivety of the post-Stalin thaw. Modern Maturity Glasnost and the..thaw in the Cold War.
Comb.: thaw-lake a (seasonal) lake formed by melted snow or ice.
thawy adjective characterized by a thaw, esp. in the weather; of or pertaining to a thaw: E18.