Derrete

Derrete is a form of the Portuguese verb derreter, meaning to melt. Specifically, derrete is the third-person singular present indicative form, used to describe something that melts in the current moment, for example, O gelo derrete quando exposto ao calor (The ice melts when exposed to heat). The related infinitive is derreter, and the noun for the process is derretimento or derretimento in some contexts.

In everyday use, derreter covers a range of melting processes, from solids turning into liquids to materials losing their shape under heat. Common examples include chocolate derrete, manteiga derrete, and a block of ice derrete slowly in warm air. The term is frequently employed in cooking, metallurgy, and materials science, where heat transfer leads to phase change and changes in texture or consistency.

The word also appears in metaphorical expressions. Dashed by emotional significance, derreter can describe softening or winning someone’s sympathy, as in a stern disposition that derrete under kindness. In physics, melting is a phase transition at a characteristic melting point, requiring latent heat of fusion to break the solid’s lattice structure and form a liquid.

Related terms include derreter (to melt), derretimento (the act or result of melting), and the more general idea of fundir, which can be used synonymously in some contexts to describe melting metals. Derrete thus serves both literal and figurative purposes across cooking, science, and everyday speech.