tauen

German

Etymology

From late Middle High German touwen (“to thaw; to dew”), a merger of two verbs:

• touwen (“to dew”), from Old High German touwōn, derived from tou (whence modern Tau), from Proto-Germanic *dawwą
• douwen (“to thaw”), from Old High German douwen, from Proto-West Germanic *þauwjan, from Proto-Germanic *þawjaną.

The merger started in Central German dialects, many of which had d- in both verbs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtaʊ̯ən/, [ˈtäʊ̯ən], [ˈtäʊ̯n̩]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tau‧en

Verb

1. (sometimes impersonal) to thaw; to melt

   Im Frühsommer taut es in den Bergen.

   In early summer, it thaws in the mountains.

   Das Eis taut in der Sonne.

   The ice is thawing in the sun.

2. (usually impersonal) to dew; there to appear (dew)

   Morgens taut es auf der Wiese.

   In the morning, there appears dew on the grass.

Derived terms

• auftauen
• Tauwetter

Related terms

• Tau