Meaning

noun the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid

noun warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt

noun a relaxation or slackening of tensions or reserve; becoming less hostile

originThe verb is derived from Middle English thawen, thowen (“to melt (ice, snow, etc.), thaw”), from Old English þāwian, *þāwan (“to thaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *þauwjan (“to melt, thaw; to digest; to dissolve”), from Proto-Germanic *þawjaną (“to thaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂- (“to melt; to flow, stream”). The noun is derived from Late Middle English thawe, thowe (“melting of ice, snow,…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0