French Conversation · Level 52
75 words
French word
dégeler
Pronunciation
IPA/deʒəle/
Meaning
- verbthaw
Example
Au printemps, le sol commence à dégeler.
In spring, the ground begins to thaw.
More examples
Laisse la viande dégeler avant de la cuire.
Allow the meat to thaw before cooking it.
Core concept
Ice or tension loses its hold and movement returns.
Common phrases
commencer à dégeler
begin thawing
laisser dégeler
leave to thaw
faire dégeler
cause to thaw
Similar words
fondre: For a heated solid to melt and change into a liquid.
décongeler: For frozen food to defrost and become usable again.
se détendre: For the mind or atmosphere to relax as tension subsides.
Definition in French
Rendre ou redevenir non gelé; s'emploie au sens propre pour la fonte et, par extension, pour l'apaisement d'une atmosphère ou d'un rapport.
Word origin
The verb dégeler joins dé- with geler, an Old French form from Latin gelare, and extends the idea of reversing a frozen state to figurative easing.
Usage tips
- For frozen food, décongeler is generally more idiomatic than dégeler, while dégeler is common in figurative expressions about negotiations and strained relations.