Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “molten” come from?

Molten comes from Old English molten, from Proto-Germanic multanaz and meltaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld-, the root meaning to melt or soften.

molten (English): Melted; Made from a melted substance; Glowing...

Definitions

  1. Melted; Made from a melted substance; Glowing...

Ancestry of “molten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmolten—
2Old Englishmolten—
3Proto-Germanicmultanaz—
4Proto-Germanicmeltanąto dissolve; melt
5Proto-Indo-European(s)mel-false, erroneous; bad, evil

Words derived from “molten”

  • unmolten
  • remolten
  • moltenly
  • nonmolten
  • ymolten
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mel- →