Dictionary.com

smelt

1
[ smelt ]
/ smɛlt /
See synonyms for: smelt / smelted / smelting / smelts on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to fuse or melt (ore) in order to separate the metal contained.
to obtain or refine (metal) in this way.

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We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
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Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
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Origin of smelt

1
1535–45; probably <Middle Dutch or Middle Low German smelten; cognate with German schmelzen to melt1, smelt

Words nearby smelt

smelling bottle, smelling salts, smell to high heaven, smell up, smelly, smelt, smelter, smeltery, Smetana, Smethwick, smew

Definition for smelt (2 of 3)

smelt2
[ smelt ]
/ smɛlt /

noun, plural (especially collectively) smelt, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) smelts.

any of various small, silvery food fishes of the family Osmeridae, of cold northern waters, as the North American rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax.
any of several superficially similar but unrelated fishes, especially certain silversides, of California.

Origin of smelt

2
before 900; Middle English, Old English; compare Norwegian smelta whiting

Definition for smelt (3 of 3)

smelt3
[ smelt ]
/ smɛlt /

verb

a simple past tense and past participle of smell.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to smelt

breathe, inhale, sniff, detect, stink, snuff, discover, identify, nose, scent, find, reek, funk, whiff, stench, smell to high heaven

Example sentences from the Web for smelt

British Dictionary definitions for smelt (1 of 3)

smelt1
/ (smɛlt) /

verb

(tr) to extract (a metal) from (an ore) by heating

Word Origin for smelt

C15: from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch smelten; related to Old High German smelzan to melt

British Dictionary definitions for smelt (2 of 3)

smelt2
/ (smɛlt) /

noun plural smelt or smelts

any marine or freshwater salmonoid food fish of the family Osmeridae, such as Osmerus eperlanus of Europe, having a long silvery body and occurring in temperate and cold northern waters

Word Origin for smelt

Old English smylt; related to Dutch, Danish smelt, Norwegian smelta, German Schmelz

British Dictionary definitions for smelt (3 of 3)

smelt3
/ (smɛlt) /

verb

a past tense and past participle of smell
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for smelt

smelt
[ smĕlt ]

To melt ores in order to extract the metals they contain. Oxide ores, such as iron ore, are smelted with carbon, which serves as a fuel and changes the ore into a reduced metal.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.