[thaw] vb [ME, fr. OE thawian; akin to OHG douwen to thaw, Gk tekein to melt, L tabere to waste away] vt (bef. 12c): to cause to thaw ~ vi 1 a: to go from a frozen to a liquid state: melt b: to become free of the effect (as stiffness, numbness, or hardness) of cold as a result of exposure to warmth
2: to be warm enough to melt ice and snow--used with it in reference to the weather
3: to abandon aloofness, reserve, or hostility: unbend
4: to become mobile, active, or susceptible to change
[2]thaw n (15c) 1: the action, fact, or process of thawing
2: a period of weather warm enough to thaw ice "the January ~"
3: the action or process of becoming less aloof, less hostile, or more genial "a ~ in international relations"