molten

/'moultən/
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molten

The volcano spews a river of molten rock down its slope.

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Liquefied by heat: Describes a solid material, typically a metal or rock, that has been heated to such a high temperature that it has melted and become a flowing liquid.
    • Made by melting and casting: Describes an object that has been formed by pouring a liquefied material into a mold.
Usage
  • The adjective molten is used almost exclusively to describe materials that are liquid due to extreme heat, especially in industrial, geological, or metallurgical contexts.
  • It is typically used attributively (before a noun) and is not commonly used predicatively (after a linking verb like "is" or "was").
  • Correct: "molten lava," "molten steel."
  • Less Common: "The steel was molten." (More common: "The steel was in a molten state" or "The steel had melted.")
Examples
  • Attributive Use:
    • The volcano spewed molten rock and ash into the sky.
    • Workers poured the molten iron into casts to make engine blocks.
    • The intense heat of the forge turned the metal into a molten pool.
Advanced Usage
  • "molten state": A formal phrase describing the condition of being melted.
    • The glass must be kept in a molten state during the blowing process.
  • Figurative Use: Occasionally used in literature or descriptive writing to evoke intense heat, fluidity, or passion.
    • His molten anger was evident in his eyes. (This is a metaphorical extension, comparing anger to a hot, flowing liquid.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Melt (verb): To change from a solid to a liquid state, usually through heat.
    • The ice will melt in the sun.
  • Molten (verb, archaic): An old past participle of "melt." This form is obsolete in modern English.
  • Molten (adjective, in compound terms): Used in specific technical terms.
    • molten-salt reactor (a type of nuclear reactor)
Synonyms
  • Liquefied: Made liquid, though not necessarily by heat (e.g., by pressure).
  • Melted: Changed from solid to liquid by heat. ("Melted" is more general and common; "molten" implies a higher, often industrial or geological, temperature.)
  • Fused: Melted together.
  • Fluid: A substance that flows, which can include liquids and gases.
Antonyms
  • Solid: Firm and stable in shape.
  • Frozen: Turned into ice or another solid.
  • Congeaed: Changed from a liquid to a semi-solid or solid state.
molten

The volcano spews a river of molten rock down its slope.

Adjective
  1. reduced to liquid form by heating
    • a mass of molten rock