Hypertext Webster Gateway: "melt"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Melt \Melt\ (m[e^]lt), n. (Zo["o]l.)
See 2d {Milt}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Melt \Melt\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Melted} (obs.) p. p. {Molten};
p. pr. & vb. n. {Melting}.] [AS. meltan; akin to Gr.
me`ldein, E. malt, and prob. to E. smelt, v. [root]108. Cf.
{Smelt}, v., {Malt}, {Milt} the spleen.]
1. To reduce from a solid to a liquid state, as by heat; to
liquefy; as, to melt wax, tallow, or lead; to melt ice or
snow.
2. Hence: 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.
Thou would'st have . . . melted down thy youth.
--Shak.
For pity melts the mind to love. --Dryden.
Syn: To liquefy; fuse; thaw; mollify; soften.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Melt \Melt\, v. i.
1. To be changed from a solid to a liquid state under the
influence of heat; as, butter and wax melt at moderate
temperatures.
2. To dissolve; as, sugar melts in the mouth.
3. Hence: To be softened; to become tender, mild, or gentle;
also, to be weakened or subdued, as by fear.
My soul melteth for heaviness. --Ps. cxix.
28.
Melting with tenderness and kind compassion. --Shak.
4. To lose distinct form or outline; to blend.
The soft, green, rounded hills, with their flowing
outlines, overlapping and melting into each other.
--J. C.
Shairp.
5. To disappear by being dispersed or dissipated; as, the fog
melts away. --Shak.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
melt
n : the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a
liquid; "the power failure caused a refrigerator melt
that was a disaster"; "the thawing of a frozen turkey
takes several hours" [syn: {thaw}, {thawing}, {melting}]
v 1: reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid
state, usually by heating; "melt butter"; "melt down
gold"; "The wax melted in the sun" [syn: {run}, {melt
down}]
2: become or cause to become soft or liquid; "The sun melted
the ice"; "the ice thawed"; "the ice cream melted"; "The
heat melted the wax" [syn: {thaw}, {unfreeze}, {unthaw}]
3: become more relaxed, easygoing, or genial; "With age, he
mellowed" [syn: {mellow}, {mellow out}]
4: lose its distinct outline or shape; blend gradually;
"Hundreds of actors were melting into the scene" [syn: {meld}]
5: become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear
gradually or seemingly; "The scene begins to fade"; "The
tree trunks are melting into the forest at dusk" [syn: {fade},
{fade out}]
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