Melting

How to spell melting

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce melting

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does melting mean?

1. verbChanging from a solid into a liquid, usually because of heat.
2. adjectiveDescribing something that softens the feelings or is very tender, as if dissolving resistance.

Melting in a sentence

• verb

  The ice in the cooler was already melting by midday.

• adjective

  The puppy gave her a melting look that no one could resist.

• verb

  The spring sun was steadily melting the snow on the rooftops.

• adjective

  He spoke in a soft, melting tone to calm the frightened child.

Where does melting come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from the Old English verb 'meltan', meaning to become liquid through heat or to dissolve, which in turn traces back to a Proto-Germanic root carrying the sense of softening or breaking down. The same ancient root sits behind 'malt', the grain that is softened in water during brewing, and it is linked to a wider family of words about wearing away and dissolving. The '-ing' ending is the ordinary native suffix that turns a verb into a present participle or a verbal noun, so 'melting' simply marks the action of melt in progress. Because the spelling stays regular (just melt plus ing, with no doubled letter and no silent trap), it has changed little since the early medieval period. The form has been in continuous English use for well over a thousand years.

How the word is built

• melt (Old English meltan: to dissolve, become liquid)
• -ing (present participle/gerund suffix)