Forms: 1 þawian, (4 þewe), 5–6 thawe, 6 thau, 6– thaw. β. 4 þowe, thoue, 4–5 thowe, 5– thow (now north. dial. and Sc.). Pa. t. and pa. pple. thawed (dial. thowed, pa. t. also thew); pa. pple. also 8–9 thawn. [OE. þawian, ME. þawen; also ME. thōwe; cognate with OFris. *thâia (:—*þawian), whence WFris. teije, NFris. tuai; OLG. *þawian, whence MLG. doien, LG. däuen (Dähnert), Du. dooien, EFris. deien, deuen, doien; OHG. douwen, dęwen (cf. mod.Ger. verdauen to digest), ON. þeyja (:—*þauja), ONorw. þøya, Sw. töa, Da. tøe. The late ME. and Sc. thōwe does not answer to OE. þawian, but seems to require *þówan or *þáwan, unrecorded. Ulterior history obscure.]
1. trans. To reduce (a frozen substance, as ice or snow) to a liquid state by raising its temperature above the freezing point; to melt (a frozen liquid). Also thaw out (U.S.).
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., III. 274. Se wind [Zephirus] towyrpð and ðawað ælcne winter.
1530. Palsgr., 755/1. Sette the potte to the fyre to thawe the water.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., II. i. 5. Where Phœbus fire scarce thawes the ysicles.
1625. N. Carpenter, Geog. Del., II. v. (1635), 79. Riuers … by a remission of the cold are thawed.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Lond. & Lacedem. Oracles, Wks. 1709, III. III. 138. After the Snow is thawn.
1790. Burke, Fr. Rev., 349. Mr. Bailly will sooner thaw the eternal ice of his atlantic regions, than restore the central heat to Paris.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., 64. Until the warmth of summer returns to thaw it [the snow].
β. c. 1384. Chaucer, H. Fame, III. 53. They [letters] were almost of thowed so That of the lettres oon or two Was molte away of euery name.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 492/1. Thowyn or meltyn, as snowe and other lyke, resolvo.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 46. To thow the pypes and schokles of yce.
1894. A. Reid, Sangs Heatherl., 107. Storms that time had thowed.
b. fig.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., II. iv. 200. Iulia that I loue, (That I did loue, for now my loue is thaw’d … like a waxen Image ’gainst a fire …).
1615. Sir W. Mure, Misc. Poems, viii. 43. Lat beuties beames then thau away … The ycinesse of loues delay.
1725. Ramsay, Gentle Sheph., III. iii. Prol. To whisper out his melting flame, And thow his lassie’s breast.
1785. M. Cutler, in Life, etc. (1888), II. 228. This cold snowy winter has considerably cooled my zeal, but when I get thawed out, in the spring, perhaps it may return.
1821. Shelley, Adonais, i. O, weep for Adonais! though our tears Thaw not the frost which binds so dear a head!
2. intr. Of ice, snow, or other substance: To pass from a frozen to a liquid or semi-liquid state; to melt under the influence of warmth: esp. by rise of temperature after frost. Also thaw out (U.S.).
c. 1325. Gloss. W. de Bibbesw., in Wright, Voc., 147. Après gelê vent remoyl [gloss] thowyng.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), VII. 453. Many brugges … were i-broke of þe þowynge [v.r. þewinge] of þe yse.
1530. Palsgr., 755/1. I thawe, as snowe or yce dothe for heate.
1552. Huloet, Thawe as yse dothe, egelidor.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit. (1637), 628. As often as the Yce thereon doth thaw.
1656. M. Ben Israel, Vind. Jud., 9. The pond thawd.
1703. Maundrell, Journ. Jerus. (1732), 140. Abundance of Snow; which thawing in the heat of Summer [etc.].
1880. Haughton, Phys. Geog., iv. 195. The water freezes in November and thaws in May.
1887. I. R., Lady’s Ranche Life Montana, 33. Before I can begin to write this letter the ink must be put down by the fire to thaw out, as it is frozen solid.
b. transf. and fig.
1602. Shaks., Ham., I. ii. 130. Oh that this too too solid Flesh, would melt, Thaw, and resolue it selfe into a Dew.
1849. Miss Mulock, Ogilvies, xxix. He … thawed into positive enthusiasm beneath the sunshine of her influence.
1865. Swinburne, Atalanta, 2104. I would that as water My life’s blood had thawn.
1905. A. C. Benson, Upton Lett. (1906), 293. The dreariness of my heart thawed and melted into peace and calm.
3. impers. It thaws: said of the cessation of a frost, when the ice, snow, etc., begin to melt.
c. 1325. Gloss. W. de Bibbesw., in Wright, Voc., 160. Ore gele, freset; Ore remet, thouet.
c. 1425. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 665/2. Degelat, thowes.
1530. Palsgr., 755/1. It thaweth a pace.
1709. Lond. Gaz., No. 4507/3. This Morning it began to thaw.
Mod. The frost seems to be giving way; I expect it will thaw before night.
4. trans. To free from the physical effect of frost; to unfreeze; said usually in reference to a non-liquid substance rigid with frost, also to a person or animal affected by extreme cold.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., IV. i. 9. My very lippes might freeze to my teeth,… ere I should come by a fire to thaw me.
1665. Phil. Trans., I. 48. The frozen Bodies will be harmlessly thawed.
1728. Ramsay, Anacreontic on Love, 21. I … his handies thow’d.
1829. Lytton, Devereux, V. ii. After I was lodged, thawed, and fed, I fell fast asleep.
1883. W. Aitken, Lays, 98 (E.D.D.). The whusky thowed their Hielan’ bluid.
1887. I. R., Lady’s Ranche Life Montana, 144. You have to thaw a bit before you can put it in a horse’s mouth.
b. nonce-use. To make limp (anything stiff).
1821. Scott, Kenilw., xl. Speak … at farther distance, so please you; your breath thaws our ruff.
5. intr. To become unfrozen; to become flexible or limp by rise of temperature.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 46. Gif ony frosin thing be put athir in the loch or in the riuer, it thowis fra hand.
1687. A. Lovell, trans. Thevenot’s Trav., II. 122. We found it worse when the Sun was up, and the ground began to Thaw.
1850–6. O. W. Holmes, Spring, 25. The bog’s green harper, thawing from his sleep, Twangs a hoarse note.
6. fig. a. trans. To soften to sympathy or geniality; to break down coldness and reserve.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, II. (Arb.), 48. Wee thawde with weeping doo pardon francklye the villeyn.
1677. Gilpin, Demonol. (1867), 92. An extraordinary occasion melts and thaws down the natural affections of men.
1741. Richardson, Pamela (1824), I. 102. She is a charming girl, and may be thawed by kindness.
1883. Gilmour, Mongols (1884), 201. Tea even fails to thaw completely their reserve.
1889. J. Jefferson, Autobiog., xii. (1891), 329. A hopeless endeavor to thaw him out.
b. intr. Of a person, his feelings, manner, etc.: To become softened or melted in feeling; to throw off coldness and reserve; to unbend.
1598. Bp. Hall, Sat., IV. iv. D j b. He thaw’s like Chaucers frosty Ianiuere; And sets a Months minde vpon smyling May.
a. 1631. Donne, Valediction my Name, ix. And thou begin’st to thaw towards him for this, May my name step in.
1827. Pollok, Course of T., IX. 722. Pride of rank And office, thawed into paternal love.
1900. Elinor Glyn, Visits Elizabeth (1906), 18. He … went on talking in the friendliest way, but I would not thaw.
7. The verb-stem in combination forming sbs., as thaw-house, thaw point.
1892. Pall Mall G., 30 Aug., 7/2. Dynamite … is received at the work in a frozen state, and stored in a big magazine. From this receptacle it is taken to the thaw-house as needed.
1902. Daily Chron., 28 May, 8/5. When ‘thaw’ points were needed, through which steam was forced into the hard ground, they were improvised out of rifle barrels.
Hence Thawed ppl. a., warmed so as to melt (as ice), softened; thawed out, also, put out of work or action by a thaw; Thawing ppl. a., that thaws, melting.
1652. Crashaw, Mary Magd., Wks. (1904), 259. Thawing crystall! snowy hills, Still spending, never spent!
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), I. 247. Clefts, from whence the thawed water trickles out.
1800. Henry, Epit. Chem. (1808), 37. The temperature of melting snow, or of thawing ice.
1885. Harper’s Mag., Dec., 86/2. The now thawed-out and almost genial Miss Lisle.
1894. Westm. Gaz., 19 Jan., 7/2. The thawed-out skaters equalised matters by holding a carnival on wheel skates at the Wandsworth Rink last night.
