Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “melt” come from?

Melt comes from Middle English melten, from Old English meltan, from Proto-Germanic meltaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mel- meaning to crush or grind.

melt (English): Molten material, the product of melting; The...

Definitions

  1. Molten material, the product of melting; The...

Ancestry of “melt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmeltento melt
2Old Englishmeltanto consume by fire, melt, burn up; dissolve,...
3Proto-Germanicmeltanąto dissolve; melt
4Proto-Indo-European(s)mel-false, erroneous; bad, evil

Words derived from “melt”

  • melting
  • snowmelt
  • meltwater
  • melter
  • meltingly
  • melteth
  • remelt
  • melty
  • unmelting
  • meltable
  • unmeltable
  • premelting
  • meltability
  • meltest
  • meltage
  • icemelt
  • hotmelt
  • meltingness
  • undermelt
  • unmelt
  • meltaway
  • nonmeltable
  • meltiness
  • overmelt
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mel- →