Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense smelts, present participle smelting, past tense, past participle smelted
1.
Smelt is a past tense and past participle of smell.
[mainly British]
2. verb
To smelt a substance containing metal means to process it by heating it until it melts, so that the metal is extracted and changed chemically.
Darby improved iron by smelting it with coke instead of charcoal. [VERB noun]
smelt in British English1
(smɛlt)
verb
(transitive)
to extract (a metal) from (an ore) by heating
Word origin
C15: from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch smelten; related to Old High German smelzan to melt
smelt in British English2
(smɛlt)
nounWord forms: pluralsmelt 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
Old English smylt; related to Dutch, Danish smelt, Norwegian smelta, German Schmelz
smelt in British English3
(smɛlt)
verb
a past tense and past participle of smell
smelt in American English1
(smɛlt)
nounWord forms: pluralsmelts or smelt
any of various fishes (order Salmoniformes); esp., any of a family (Osmeridae) of small, silvery, salmonoidfood fishes found in northern seas or lakes: most run up rivers to spawn
Word origin
ME < OE, akin to Norw smelt, whiting, Du smelt, Ger schmelte, sand eel
smelt in American English2
(smɛlt)
verb transitive
1.
to melt or fuse (ore, etc.) so as to separate impurities from pure metal
2.
to refine or extract (metal) in this way
verb intransitive
3.
to undergo fusing or smelting
Word origin
MDu or MLowG smelten, akin to Ger schmelzen < IE *(s)mel-, to crush, grind fine > melt, malt
smelt in American English3
(smɛlt)
verb transitive, verb intransitive
pt. & pp. of; British
smell
Examples of 'smelt' in a sentence
smelt
The T-shirt she'd left to dry overnight was stiff and smelt of peat.
Mark Burnell CHAMELEON (2002)
She recognized them all as Steve's, they had his look somehow, smelt like him.
Butler, Gwendoline COFFIN IN FASHION (2002)
She tugged at the tangles as best she could and slowly re-braided her long hair, wondering if she smelt as bad as everyone else did.
Jennifer Fallon MEDALON (2002)
Word lists with
smelt
Types of fish
Chinese translation of 'smelt'
smelt
(smɛlt)
pt, pp
ofsmell
vt
[ore]熔炼(煉) (róngliàn)
smell
(smɛl)
Word forms:ptppsmelledsmelt
n
(c) (= aroma, odour) 气(氣)味 (qìwèi) (种(種), zhǒng)
(u) (= sense) 嗅觉(覺) (xiùjué)
vt
(= notice the smell of) 闻(聞)到 (wéndào)
(= sniff) 嗅 (xiù)
(= have instinct for) 察觉(覺) (chájué)
vi
(= have unpleasant odour) 发(發)臭 (fā chòu)
to smell nice/delicious/spicy etc闻(聞)起来(來)香/好吃/辣等 (wén qǐlái xiāng/hǎochī/là děng)