Re: USAGE: YAEUT: "Molten" vs. "Melted"

>> --- On Mon, 10/13/08, Eldin Raigmore <eldin_raigmore@...> wrote:
>>
>> > In English the verb "melt" has two passive perfect
>> > participles; to wit, "molten"
>> > and "melted".
>> > When is it more appropriate to use "molten" than
>> > "melted", and when is it more
>> > appropriate to use "melted" than
>> > "molten"?
>> > Are there any circumstances in which only one is
>> > appropriate?  If so, what
>> > circumstances, and which one is appropriate?
>>
>> In my experience, "melted" is used for things which are seen in their
>> melted state under conditions an average person might easily create or
>> observe, such as melted ice, melted cheese, melted plastic, melted
>> butter,
>> ...
>>
>> Things which require extraordinary conditions, not normally encountered
>> in
>> daily life, in order to melt would use "molten", such as molten lead,
>> molten
>> lava, molten steel, molten glass.
>>
>> --gary

So, time for my ha'pporth's worth.

Firstly, to me molten can also imply a sense of great heat (lava, metal,
glass) - perhaps even usually so - but no always necessarily.

I think there may be an aspective sense to it also.  Molten seems more
staive: 'This metal is molten', whereas 'melted' seems more suited to a
perfect aspect 'My ice cream has melted'.


P.

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