meltwater
UK[ˈmɛltˌwɔːtə]US[ˈmɛltˌwɔːtər]
n
Water that comes from melting ice or snow.
Morpheme Breakdown
melt
water
melt
to become liquid, digest.
water
water.
Etymology
The word 'meltwater' is a transparent compound formed within the English language from two native Germanic elements. 'Melt' originates from the Old English verb meltan, meaning "to digest" or "to become liquid," a term with deep Proto-Indo-European ancestry related to the concept of softness. 'Water' comes from the ubiquitous Old English noun wæter, tracing back to the essential Proto-Indo-European word for water, wodr̥. The compound logically and literally names the specific type of water produced by the melting process, a term that gained particular scientific and environmental relevance in describing glacial and snowfield runoff.
Analysis
Structure: melt + water
melt: From Old English meltan, meaning "to become liquid, digest." A Germanic root with the functional role of conveying the action of liquefying.
water: From Old English wæter, meaning "water." A Proto-Germanic root with the functional role of naming the resulting substance.
Examples
The river's flow increases in spring due to glacial meltwater.
Scientists are measuring the meltwater from the polar ice caps.
The clear blue pools were filled with pure snowmelt water.