thaw

/θɔ:/

Friendly

Explanation of the Word "Thaw"

Part of Speech:
- Verb: to thaw
- Noun: thaw

Usage Instructions:

• As a Verb: You can use "thaw" when talking about food, ice, or feelings. For example, when you leave a frozen chicken out at room temperature to make it easier to cook, you are thawing it.
• As a Noun: Use "thaw" to describe the period when ice or snow melts or when relationships improve. For example, you might say, "There was a thaw in their friendship."

Examples:

1. Verb: "I need to thaw the chicken for dinner."
2. Noun: "The thaw of spring is welcomed after a long winter."

Advanced Usage:

• Scientific Context: In a scientific or environmental context, "thaw" can refer to the melting of permafrost due to climate change, which can release greenhouse gases.
• Emotional Context: In a psychological or social context, "thaw" can describe when people who were once unfriendly start to become more open and friendly.

Word Variants:

• Thawed (past tense of thaw)
• Thawing (present participle of thaw)

Different Meanings:

1. Physical: Referring to the melting of ice or snow.
2. Emotional: Describing a decrease in tension or hostility between people or groups.

Synonyms:

• Melt: To change from solid to liquid, often used interchangeably with "thaw" when discussing ice and snow.
• Defrost: Specifically used for food, meaning to remove frost or ice.
• Warm up: To increase in temperature.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• "Thaw out": This can mean to become warm after being cold, or it can describe a person becoming friendlier after being aloof.
  • Example: "After their argument, it took some time for their relationship to thaw out."

Academic

Noun

1. 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
2. warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt
   • they welcomed the spring thaw
3. 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

Verb

1. 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

Synonyms

• thawing
• warming
• melt
• melting
• dissolve
• unfreeze
• unthaw
• dethaw