smelt

1 of 3

noun

ˈsmelt 

plural smelts or smelt

: any of a family (Osmeridae) of small bony fishes that closely resemble the trouts in general structure, live along coasts and ascend rivers to spawn or are landlocked, and have delicate oily flesh with a distinctive odor and taste

smelt

2 of 3

verb

smelted; smelting; smelts

transitive verb

1

: to melt or fuse (a substance, such as ore) often with an accompanying chemical change usually to separate the metal

2

: refine, reduce

smelt

3 of 3

chiefly British past participle of smell entry 1

Examples of smelt in a Sentence

Verb

the process used for smelting iron ore

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In California’s Delta, there are threatened and endangered fish species, including steelhead trout, two types of Chinook salmon, longfin smelt, Delta smelt and green sturgeon. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024

Pumping to supply farms and cities has contributed to the ecological degradation of the Delta, where threatened and endangered fish species include steelhead trout, two types of Chinook salmon, longfin smelt, Delta smelt and green sturgeon. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024

Verb

Just to obtain the metals inside your 4.5-ounce iPhone, 75 pounds of ore had to be pulled up, crushed, and smelted, releasing up to 100 pounds of carbon dioxide. —Vince Beiser, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024

The state civil protection office said in a social media post that the blast was likely caused after smelting apparatus collapsed. —Reuters, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Norwegian smelte whiting

Verb

Dutch or Low German smelten; akin to Old High German smelzan to melt, Old English meltan — more at melt

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

smelt

1 of 2 noun

ˈsmelt 

plural smelts or smelt

: any of several very small food fishes that look like the related trouts and live in fresh water or in coastal sea waters

smelt

2 of 2 verb

1

: to melt (as ore) usually in order to separate the metal

2

: refine sense 1, reduce