an act or period of melting:the precipitation falls as snow and is released during the spring melt
[mass noun] metal or other material in a melted condition.
a quantity of metal melted at one operation.
[with modifier]North American a sandwich, hamburger, or other dish containing or topped with melted cheese:a tuna melt
ზმნა
Universal
1make or become liquefied by heating: [with object]:the hot metal melted the wax (as adjective melted)asparagus with melted butter [no object]:place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted
[with object] (melt something down) melt a metal article so as to reuse the raw material:beautiful objects are being melted down and sold for scrap
[no object] dissolve in liquid:add 400g sugar and boil until the sugar melts
[no object] informal (of a person) suffer extreme heat.
2make or become more tender or loving: [with object]:Richard gave her a smile which melted her heart [no object]:she was so beautiful that I melted
3 [no object, with adverbial] disappear or disperse:the compromise was accepted and the opposition melted away
(melt into) change or merge imperceptibly into (another form or state):the cheers melted into gasps of admiration
melt in the mouth
(of food) be deliciously light or tender and need little chewing:they ate lamb which melted in the mouth
melt down
1collapse or break down disastrously:many expected him to melt down at the first sign of trouble
2(of a nuclear reactor) undergo a catastrophic failure as a result of the fuel overheating:if the pumps that cool the reactor core become disabled the core could begin to overheat, and the reactor could melt down
