/ melt; NAmE / verb
1.
to become or make sth become liquid as a result of heating :
[ v ]
The snow showed no sign of melting.
melting ice
[ vn ]
The sun had melted the snow.
First, melt two ounces of butter.
—compare defrost , de-ice
2.
to become or to make a feeling, an emotion, etc. become gentler and less strong :
[ v ]
The tension in the room began to melt.
[ vn ]
Her trusting smile melted his heart.
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IDIOMS
- melt in your mouth
—more at butter noun
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PHRASAL VERBS
- melt away | melt sth away
- melt sth down
- melt into sth
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English meltan , mieltan , of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse melta to malt, digest, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek meldein to melt, Latin mollis soft, also by malt .