smelting
|smelt-ing|
/ˈsmɛltɪŋ/
(smelt)
melting to extract metal
Etymology
'smelt' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'smeltan', meaning 'to melt' or 'to cause to flow'.
'smeltan' in Old English developed into Middle English 'smelten' and later became the modern English verb 'smelt', with the noun/gerund form 'smelting' formed from the verb.
Initially, it meant 'to melt' in a general sense; over time it became specialized to mean 'to extract metal by heating and melting ore'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or operation of smelting (extracting metal by heating and melting ore); the place or act of performing this process.
Smelting of copper ores requires careful control of temperature and fluxes.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/13 16:26