Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
MELT
I. verb see: mollify Date: before 12th century intransitive verb to become altered from a solid to a liquid state usually by heat,
2. dissolve , disintegrate , to disappear as if by dissolving , to become subdued or crushed (as by sorrow), to become mild, tender, or gentle, to lose outline or distinctness ; blend , transitive verb to reduce from a solid to a liquid state usually by heat, to cause to disappear or disperse, to make tender or gentle ; soften , meltability noun meltable adjective melter noun
II. noun
Date: 1847
1. material in the molten state, the mass melted at a single operation or the quantity melted during a specified period,
2. the action or process of melting or the period during which it occurs , the condition of being melted, a sandwich with melted cheese ,
III. noun
Etymology: Middle English milte, from Old English; akin to Old High German miltzi spleen Date: before 12th century spleen