Pronunciation: [θˈɔː] (IPA) 
The word "thaw" is spelled with the letters 't', 'h', 'a', and 'w'. In IPA, it can be transcribed as /θɔː/. The sound represented by 'th' is called a voiceless dental fricative, which is made by placing the tip of the tongue behind the top front teeth and blowing air out. The 'aw' sound is a low back vowel pronounced with an open mouth. Put together, the word "thaw" means to melt or become less frozen.
Thaw is a verb that refers to the process of changing a substance from a solid, frozen state to a liquid state due to an increase in temperature. It commonly involves the melting of ice or snow. Thawing typically occurs when the ambient temperature rises above the freezing point of the substance, causing the particles to gain energy and break free from their fixed positions within the solid structure.
Thaw can also be used metaphorically to describe the gradual softening or relaxation of a person's cold or unresponsive attitude or behavior. In this sense, it implies the gradual restoration of warmth, friendliness, or intimacy in a relationship or interaction. It signifies the dissolution of barriers or conflicts, leading to a more open and positive atmosphere.
As a noun, thaw refers to the period or state of thawing. It signifies the time when frozen substances transition into liquid form. The word is also used colloquially to describe a spell of warmer weather following a period of cold temperatures, leading to the melting of ice and snow.
Thaw is a term commonly associated with winter and cold climates. It is often used in the context of weather forecasts to describe the process of ice melting and the consequent changes in road conditions, water levels, or landscape appearance.
• The melting of ice or snow by a change of temperature; the change of weather that causes it.
• To melt or reduce to a liquid state, as ice or snow: to become sufficiently warm to melt ice or snow, as the weather.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "thaw" has its origins in Old English. It can be traced back to the Old English verb "thawian", which means "to begin to melt or become liquid". This verb itself is derived from the Proto-Germanic root *thawōną, meaning "to thaw" or "to melt". This Proto-Germanic root is further connected to the Old Norse word "theyja" and the Middle Dutch and Middle Low German word "doeyen", both of which also mean "to thaw". Overall, the word "thaw" has deep Germanic roots and has been in use for centuries to describe the process of melting frozen substances.
