*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of meld

The verb is probably derived: * from a blend of melt + weld; or * from melled (“blended; mingled”), the past participle of mell. The noun is derived from the verb. Compare also melting pot.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To combine (multiple things) together; to blend, to fuse. · To combine, to blend, to fuse.

noun

The result of multiple things being combined together; a blend.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The verb is probably derived: * from a blend of melt + weld; or * from melled (“blended; mingled”), the past participle of mell. The noun is derived from the verb. Compare also melting pot.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Blend componentmelten
  • Blend componentwelden
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "verb"
      },
      "expansion": "verb"
    },
    {
      "name": "blend",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "melt",
        "3": "weld",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "blend of melt + weld"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "3"
      },
      "expansion": "³"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "past"
      },
      "expansion": "past"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "participle"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "noun"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "melt",
      "melt#English"
    ],
    [
      "weld",
      "weld#English"
    ],
    [
      "melled",
      "melled#English"
    ],
    [
      "mell",
      "mell#English"
    ],
    [
      "melting pot",
      "melting pot#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To combine (multiple things) together; to blend, to fuse.",
        "To combine, to blend, to fuse."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To announce or play (a combination of playing cards) and thus score points. · To announce or play a combination of playing cards and thus score points.

noun

Especially in games of the rummy family: a combination of playing cards which is announced or played to score points. · A group of three tiles forming a sequence or triplet, of which four are required to form a winning hand

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The verb is probably borrowed from Dutch melden (“to announce; to let (someone) know, report; (specifically) to declare in a card game”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *melþōn (“to announce, declare; to inform”), and Proto-Indo-European *meldʰ- (“to ask; to pray; to speak”). The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * Dutch melden * Old English meldian (“to announce, declare; to inform, notify”) (Middle English melden (“to accuse, inform against; to announce, declare”))

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*meldʰ-ine-pro
  • Borrowed-form mentionmeldennl · to announce; to let (someone) know, report; (specifically) to declare in a card game
  • Derivation mention*melþōngmw-pro · to announce, declare; to inform
  • Derivation mention*meldʰ-ine-pro · to ask; to pray; to speak
  • Cognate mentionmeldennl
  • Cognate mentionmeldianang · to announce, declare; to inform, notify
  • Cognate mentionmeldenenm · to accuse, inform against; to announce, declare
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*meldʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "verb"
      },
      "expansion": "verb"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "melden",
        "t": "to announce; to let (someone) know, report; (specifically) to declare in a card game"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch melden (“to announce; to let (someone) know, report; (specifically) to declare in a card game”)"
    },
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      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
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      "expansion": "²"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "gmw-pro",
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      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *melþōn (“to announce, declare; to inform”)"
    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*meldʰ-",
        "t": "to ask; to pray; to speak"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *meldʰ- (“to ask; to pray; to speak”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "noun"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "melden"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch melden"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "meldian",
        "t": "to announce, declare; to inform, notify"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English meldian (“to announce, declare; to inform, notify”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "melden",
        "t": "to accuse, inform against; to announce, declare"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English melden (“to accuse, inform against; to announce, declare”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "played",
      "play#Verb"
    ],
    [
      "game",
      "game#Noun"
    ],
    [
      "gin rummy",
      "gin rummy"
    ],
    [
      "melden",
      "melden#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "*melþōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/melþōn"
    ],
    [
      "*meldʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/meldʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "melden",
      "melden#Dutch"
    ],
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      "meldian",
      "meldian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "melden",
      "melden#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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        "To announce or play (a combination of playing cards) and thus score points.",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for meld →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWVsZA