noun / verb

meld

MELD/meld/

To combine distinct parts into a unified set.

Red and yellow paint meld into a smooth orange mixture.

Red and yellow paint are being melded into one smooth orange mixture on a palette; a palette knife rests across the merged paint, with narrow traces of the original colors still visible at its edges.

Etymology

The origin of meld meaning “combine” is uncertain. Suggestions include a blend of melt and weld, a connection with mell “mix,” or an extension of the card-playing sense of combining cards for a score.

In context

God Stuff 101 - Class in Session1:10

the devil was doing a really excellent job at making what's black and white meld together into gray

Lamentation: The Passionate Expression of Grief or Sorrow

More examples

The designer melds old furniture with modern lighting.
Her music is a meld of jazz and folk.
We melded their suggestions into one workable plan.

Forms

meld · melds · melded · melding

Similar words

blend: Emphasizes smooth mixing rather than forming a single whole.
merge: Often describes organizations or separate streams joining into one.
fuse: Suggests a stronger or more permanent union, sometimes through heat.