disgelo

thaw

noun deez-JEH-loh Rare

Also means

détente

Usage Note

Disgelo literally means the melting of ice or frozen ground in spring, but it is widely used metaphorically for a political or diplomatic thaw — a warming of previously frozen relations. The metaphorical sense is very common: il disgelo tra i due paesi ('the thaw between the two countries'). The verb is disgelare; the opposite is gelo ('frost/freeze').

Examples

"Il disgelo primaverile allagò i campi."

Natural Translation

The spring thaw flooded the fields.

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