Smelt

//smɛlt// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any small anadromous fish of the family Osmeridae, found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and in lakes in North America and northern part of Europe.
  2. 2
    Production of metal, especially iron, from ore in a process that involves heating and chemical reduction of metal compounds into purified metal. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    small trout-like silvery marine or freshwater food fishes of cold northern waters wordnet
  4. 4
    A fool; a simpleton. obsolete

    "These direct Men, they are no Men of fashion, Talk what you will, this is a very Smelt"

  5. 5
    Any of the various liquids or semi-molten solids produced and used during the course of such production. countable, uncountable

    "1982, Raymond E. Kirk and Donald F. Othmer, Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Wiley, →ISBN, page 405, The green liquor, ie, [sic] the solution obtained on dissolving the smelt, contains an insoluble residue called dregs, which gives it a dark green appearance."

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  1. 6
    small cold-water silvery fish; migrate between salt and fresh water wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of smell form-of, participle, past
  2. 2
    To produce metal, especially iron, from ore in a process that involves heating and chemical reduction of metal compounds into purified metal.
  3. 3
    extract (metals) by heating wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English smelt, from Old English smelt, from Proto-Germanic *smeltaz.

Etymology 2

From very early Middle English smel; likely to derive from Old English, but not recorded.

Etymology 3

From Middle Dutch smelten (“to melt”) or Middle Low German smelten (“to melt”), from Old Dutch *smeltan or Old Saxon smeltan, both from Proto-West Germanic *smeltan, from Proto-Germanic *smeltaną (“to melt”). Related to English melt and Old English meltan (“to melt”). Cognate to Dutch smelten, German schmelzen.

Etymology 4

From Middle Dutch smelten (“to melt”) or Middle Low German smelten (“to melt”), from Old Dutch *smeltan or Old Saxon smeltan, both from Proto-West Germanic *smeltan, from Proto-Germanic *smeltaną (“to melt”). Related to English melt and Old English meltan (“to melt”). Cognate to Dutch smelten, German schmelzen.

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