different between melt vs meld

English

Etymology

From Middle English melten, from Old English meltan (“to consume by fire, melt, burn up; dissolve, digest”) and Old English mieltan (“to melt; digest; refine, purge; exhaust”), from Proto-Germanic *meltan? (“to dissolve, melt”) and Proto-Germanic *maltijan? (“to dissolve, melt”), both from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld- (“melt”). Cognate with Icelandic melta (“to melt, digest”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?lt/
• Rhymes: -?lt

Noun

melt (countable and uncountable, plural melts)

1. Molten material, the product of melting.
2. The transition of matter from a solid state to a liquid state.
3. The springtime snow runoff in mountain regions.
4. A melt sandwich.
5. A wax-based substance for use in an oil burner as an alternative to mixing oils and water.
6. (Britain, slang, derogatory) An idiot.

Derived terms

• snowmelt, snow melt

Translations

Verb

melt (third-person singular simple present melts, present participle melting, simple past melted or (rare) molt, past participle melted or molten)

1. (ergative) To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.

   I melted butter to make a cake.

   When the weather is warm, the snowman will disappear; he will melt.

2. (intransitive, figuratively) To dissolve, disperse, vanish.

   His troubles melted away.
3. (transitive, figuratively) To soften, as by a warming or kindly influence; to relax; to render gentle or susceptible to mild influences; sometimes, in a bad sense, to take away the firmness of; to weaken.
   • 1687, John Dryden, A Song for Cecilia's Day

     For pity melts the mind to love.

4. (intransitive) To be discouraged.
5. (intransitive, figuratively) To be emotionally softened or touched.

   She melted when she saw the romantic message in the Valentine's Day card.

6. (intransitive, colloquial) To be very hot and sweat profusely.

Synonyms

• (change from solid to liquid): to found, to thaw

Derived terms

Translations

English

Etymology 1

Blend of melt +? weld; alternatively, from English melled (“mingled; blended”), past participle of mell.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?ld/
• Rhymes: -?ld

Verb

meld (third-person singular simple present melds, present participle melding, simple past and past participle melded)

1. (US) to combine multiple similar objects into one

   One can meld copper and zinc together to form brass.

   Much as America's motto celebrates melding many into one, South Africa's says that it doesn't matter what you look like — we can all be proud of our young country. - The New York Times, 26/02/2007 [1]

Synonyms

• conflate

Related terms

• melt
• weld

Translations

Etymology 2

Probably borrowed from Dutch or German melden (“to report, announce”). Compare cognate Middle English melden (“to call out, accuse”), from Old English meldian (“to declare, announce, tell”).

Verb

meld (third-person singular simple present melds, present participle melding, simple past and past participle melded)

1. In card games, especially of the rummy family, to announce or display a combination of cards.

Translations

Noun

meld (plural melds)

1. A combination of cards which is melded.

Translations

References

• “meld”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Danish

Verb

meld

1. imperative of melde

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?lt

Verb

meld

1. first-person singular present indicative of melden
2. imperative of melden

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

meld

1. imperative of melde

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse meldr.

Alternative forms

• melder m

Noun

meld m (definite singular melden, indefinite plural meldar, definite plural meldane)

1. grinding, crushing
2. an amount of grain that is to be milled
3. an amount of flour that returns from the mill

Related terms

• mala, male (to grind, crush)
• mjøl n

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Participle

meld (neuter singular meldt, definite singular and plural melde)

1. past participle of melde

Verb

meld

1. imperative of melda and melde

References

• “meld” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.