| 释义 |
thaw
I. \ˈthȯ\ verb
(thawed or dialect thew \ˈthü\ ; thawed \-ȯd\ ; also archaic thawn \-ȯn\ ; thawing ; thaws)
Etymology: Middle English thawen, from Old English thawian; akin to Middle Dutch dooyen, douwen to thaw, Old High German douwen, dōan, dewen, Old Norse theyja to thaw, Latin tabes wasting disease, tabēre to waste away, melt, tabescere to melt gradually, decay, Greek tēkein to melt, Ossetic thayun to thaw, melt, Armenian t'anam I moisten; basic meaning: to melt
transitive verb
1.
a. : to cause (something frozen) to go into a liquid state
< thawing the ice >
b. : to rid of stiffness, hardness, numbness, ice, or other effect of cold by warming
< held his hands close to the fire to thaw them out >
< thawing frozen vegetables >
2. : to rid of cold aloofness or hostility : cause to grow gentle or genial
< the convivial crowd soon thawed him out >
3. : to nullify or cause to disappear as if by melting
< she can unlock the clasping charm, and thaw the numbing spell — John Milton >
4. : to bring into a condition in which adjustments, adaptations, or modifications are possible
< broke through the static repose of the Aristotelian system, and, so to speak, thawed its frozen logic — P.E.More >
5. : to activate or change in a manner that reverses the effect of a legislative, administrative, or economic freeze
< thawing out the frozen assets >
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to go from a frozen to a liquid state (as of ice or snow) : melt
b. : to become free of stiffness, hardness, numbness, ice, or other effect of cold as a result of being warmed
< the ground has thawed out >
2. : to be warm enough to melt ice and snow — used with it in reference to the weather
< it is thawing today >
3. : to abandon aloofness, reserve, or hostility : grow gentle or genial : unbend
4. : to become mobile, active, or susceptible to change
< in medieval times property and people were all frozen, but with the opening of the Great Frontier both thawed out and began to flow and mingle — W.P.Webb >
II. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English thawe, from thawen, v.
1.
a. : the action, fact, or process of thawing
b. : a warmth of weather sufficient to thaw ice or snow : period when the weather is so warm as to thaw ice or snow
< a January thaw >
2. : the action or process of becoming less aloof, less hostile, or more genial
3. : reversal, weakening, or termination of a legislative, administrative, or economic freeze |