Smelt Is a Fish, a Metal Process and a Past Tense
To smelt is to extract metal from ore by heating. A smelt is also a small fish, and smelt is the past tense of smell.
To smelt is to extract metal from its ore by heating and melting. Three separate words share the spelling: the metallurgical verb from Middle Dutch *smelten*, to melt; a small silvery fish from Old English *smelt*; and the British past tense of *smell*. Only context separates them. Smelting is not just melting: it uses a reducing agent, usually carbon from charcoal or coke, to strip oxygen from the ore and leave the metal behind. The technique defines the Bronze and Iron Ages.
- To extract metal. *Smelt the ore.*
- A small fish. *Fried smelts.*
- Past of smell (UK). *He smelt it.*
- Smelter — a plant or worker. *A copper smelter.*
- Middle Dutch — *smelten*, to melt. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | smelt | Smelt it. |
| Past | smelted | Smelted. |
| Agent | smelter | A smelter. |
| Noun (fish) | smelt | A smelt. |
| Past of smell | smelt | He smelt it. |
- They smelt iron ore here for centuries.Metallurgy.
- Smelts are fried whole.Fish.
- She smelt the smoke.Past tense.
How smelting works
- Ore contains metal bound to oxygen or sulphur
- Heat alone is not enough — melting is not smelting
- A reducing agent such as carbon strips away the oxygen
- Flux is added to carry impurities into slag
- The metal separates and is drawn off as liquid
Middle Dutch or Middle Low German *smelten*, to melt. The fish is Old English *smelt*, and the past tense is from *smell*.
Is smelting the same as melting?
No. Melting only changes state; smelting uses a chemical reducing agent to separate metal from the oxygen or sulphur it is bound to in the ore.
What is a smelt fish?
A small silvery fish of northern waters, usually fried and eaten whole.