meltdown
UK[ˈmeltdaʊn]US[ˈmeltdaʊn]
n
a serious accident in which the central part of a nuclear reactor melts, causing harmful radiation to escape.
n
a sudden disastrous failure or collapse, especially a rapid fall in the value of financial markets.
n
an occasion when a person becomes extremely upset and is unable to act or think normally.
Morpheme Breakdown
melt
down
melt
to become liquid
down
completive particle
Etymology
the term 'meltdown' is a modern compound, originating in the mid-20th century within the context of nuclear engineering. it literally describes the catastrophic event where a reactor's core 'melts' and flows 'down' through its containment structure due to overheating. this vivid, literal imagery was subsequently borrowed into financial and psychological contexts to metaphorically describe a sudden, catastrophic collapse or a complete loss of emotional control, where stability dissolves and 'falls down'. the logic follows a clear path from a concrete physical process to an abstract metaphor for total failure.
Analysis
Structure: melt (to become liquid) + down (completive particle)
'melt' is from old english meltan, meaning 'to become liquid, digest', of germanic origin. 'down' is from old english dūn, meaning 'from a higher to a lower position', used here as an intensifying or completive particle.
Examples
the plant's safety systems were designed to prevent a nuclear meltdown.
the stock market experienced a severe meltdown, erasing billions in value.
the toddler had a complete meltdown in the supermarket when he couldn't get a candy bar.