weld
weld
/weld/
To join metal or plastic pieces together by heating their surfaces until they melt and press into a single piece, or a joint formed this way.
Implies high-heat structural bonding where parent metals melt together, unlike soldering or brazing where a filler metal melts at a lower temperature without melting the base pieces.
The story behind the word. The word weld originally came from Old English and Germanic roots meaning 'to boil or bubble up.' In the Middle Ages, blacksmiths noticed that when iron was heated until it softened and appeared to 'boil,' hammering the pieces together fused them into one piece.
Word relationships
- fuse: Fuse is broader and means joining by melting generally, whereas weld specifically implies joining structural parts under heat and often pressure.
- sever: Sever means to cut apart completely, whereas weld means to join together permanently.
Commonly confused with
- solder: Welding melts the base metals together at high heat, while soldering uses a low-melting filler alloy without melting the base metal.
Word family
- welder (noun): A person or machine that welds metal
- welding (noun): The process or action of joining metal by heat
Collocations
- weld together
- weld joint
- arc weld
- seamlessly weld
Idioms & expressions
- welded at the hip
Example sentences
- "The ironworkers had to weld the massive steel beams together to create a rigid frame capable of withstanding seismic shocks." Structural engineering
- "The shared crisis served to weld the disparate political factions into a surprisingly unified coalition." Metaphorical usage
Memory hook
Think of WELL-DONE metal cooked so hot it boils together. Melt together, hold forever.
When not to use
Do not use for low-heat electrical connections or delicate circuitry; use 'solder' instead.
Fun facts
- Space welding is possible without heat: in a vacuum, two clean pieces of identical metal will instantly stick together through cold welding.
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