schmelzen

See also: Schmelzen

German

Alternative forms

• schmilzen (colloquial only)

Etymology

From Old High German smelzan, from Proto-Germanic *smeltaną; akin to Old Saxon smeltan. Cognate with English smelt, Danish smelte, Dutch smelten, German Low German smölten. Through the meaning of soften: compare Old Church Slavonic младъ (mladŭ) (whence младость (mladostĭ, “softness”)), Latin mollis (“soft”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃmɛltsn̩/, /ˈʃmɛltsən/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

1. (transitive, auxiliary: “haben”) to melt; to liquefy
2. (transitive, metallurgy, auxiliary: “haben”) to smelt; to fuse
3. (intransitive, auxiliary: “sein”) to melt; to liquefy
4. (intransitive, figuratively, auxiliary: “sein”) to dwindle; to melt away

Derived terms

• einschmelzen
• zerschmelzen
• Schmelzen

Related terms

• Schmelz
• schmelzbar
• Schmelze
• schmelzend
• Schmelzerei
• Schmelzkäse

Further reading

• “schmelzen” in Duden online