melt

v.

1. To liquefy

   dissolve, liquefy, thaw, deliquesce, render, fuse, blend, merge, soften, flow, run, disintegrate, waste away; see also dissolve 1.

   Antonyms freeze*, harden*, solidify. *

2. To relent

   forgive, show mercy, become lenient; see yield 1.

3. To decrease

   vanish, pass away, go; see decrease 1.

melt implies the bringing of a substance from its solid to its liquid state, usually by heat to melt butter; dissolve refers specifically to the reduction of a solid to a liquid by placing it in another liquid so that its particles are evenly distributed among those of the solvent to dissolve sugar in water; liquefy is the general term meaning to change to a liquid state and may be applied to gases as well as solids; thaw implies the reducing of a frozen substance to its normal state, usually to a liquid or a semiliquid, by raising its temperature the ice has thawed