different between melt vs overcome

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

From Middle English overcomen, from Old English ofercuman (“to overcome, subdue, compel, conquer, obtain, attain, reach, overtake”), corresponding to over- +? come. Cognate with Dutch overkomen (“to overcome”), German überkommen (“to overcome”), Danish overkomme (“to overcome”), Swedish överkomma (“to overcome”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /???v??k?m/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?o?v???k?m/

Verb

overcome (third-person singular simple present overcomes, present participle overcoming, simple past overcame, past participle overcome)

1. (transitive) To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of.

   to overcome enemies in battle

   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, Ch. 4:

     By and by fumes of brandy began to fill the air, and climb to where I lay, overcoming the mouldy smell of decayed wood and the dampness of the green walls.

2. (transitive) To win or prevail in some sort of battle, contest, etc.
3. To come or pass over; to spread over.
4. To overflow; to surcharge.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of J. Philips to this entry?)

Translations

Noun

overcome (plural overcomes)

1. (Scotland) The burden or recurring theme in a song.
2. (Scotland) A surplus.

References

• overcome in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• overcome in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• come over, come-over, comeover