thaw
noun/θɔː/
/θɔː/
- [countable, usually singular] a period of warmer weather following one of cold weather, causing snow and ice to melt
- The river doubles in size during the spring thaw.
- The plants will be ready for use when the spring thaw arrives.
- The river often floods during the thaw.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- slow
- sudden
- spring
- …
- arrive
- begin
- come
- …
- during a/the thaw
- [singular] thaw (in something) a situation in which the relations between two enemy countries become more friendly
- a thaw in relations with the West
Word OriginOld English thawian (verb), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch dooien. The noun (first recorded in Middle English) developed its figurative use in the mid 19th cent.
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