1. v. & n.
--v.tr.
1. a hammer or press (pieces of iron or other metal usu. heated but not melted) into one piece. b join by fusion with an electric arc etc. c form by welding into some article.
2 fashion (arguments, members of a group, etc.) into an effectual or homogeneous whole.
--n. a welded joint.
Derivatives:
weldable adj. weldability n. welder n.
Etymology: alt. of WELL(2) v. in obs. sense 'melt or weld (heated metal)', prob. infl. by past part. 2. n.1 a plant, Reseda luteola, yielding a yellow dye.
2 hist. this dye.
Etymology: ME f. OE w(e)alde (unrecorded): cf. MDu. woude, MLG walde