English
melt
Melt comes from Middle English melten ‘to blend or fuse’, from Old English meltan ‘to melt’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)meld-‘to soften, melt’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*meltaną‘to dissolve, to melt’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*meltan‘to dissolve, to melt’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150meltan‘to melt’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500melten‘to blend or fuse’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1605–1608melt
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)meld-‘to soften, melt’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*meltaną‘to dissolve, to melt’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*meltan‘to dissolve, to melt’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150meltan‘to melt’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500melten‘to blend or fuse’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1605–1608melt
Earliest quotation: c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, The Life of Tymon of Athens: “Thou would'st have […] melted down thy youth.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld- ‘to soften, melt’
email, mojo, enamel, moll, mojito, milt, schmaltz, 19 more
through Proto-Germanic *meltaną ‘to dissolve, to melt’
through Old English meltan ‘to melt’
Today it means
verb To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld- / melt