ice melter
- noun
- /aɪs ˈmɛltər/
- UK
:
descongelante
- The garage keeps a bag of ice melter handy for slippery steps during winter.
Examples
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She sprinkled ice melter on the sidewalk to make it safe for pedestrians.
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Most ice melter products work by lowering the freezing point of water.
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The ice melter worked quickly on the driveway.
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Many people use ice melters during winter.
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In winter, we applied ice melter to the driveway to prevent ice from forming.
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The city uses ice melter to ensure the roads are safe for drivers during snowstorms.
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Before the storm hits, it's wise to have ice melter on hand to keep your walkway clear.
Synonyms
1
3.4
A salt or liquid used to make ice become water on roads and sidewalks
A chemical that removes or stops ice forming on surfaces like roads and plane wings
How Effective
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a thing that melts ice' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'ice' with 'melter' (an agent/thing that melts); a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes whatever melts ice (chemical or device). This noun-compound/agentive pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically, so the sense is immediately comprehensible from the constituents.
Etymology
Ice melter comes from the simple idea of something that melts ice. People have long spread salt or similar materials on sidewalks and roads to melt frozen water, and such products were sold in bags called ice melter. That's why ice melter means 'a substance used to melt ice'.