smelt 
ous smelting operations differ greatly from each 
according to the nature of the combination* operated on. 
Simple ores, like galena, require only n very MID],] 
of operation*, which arc essentially continuous in oni 
and the same furnace; more complicated combinations 
like the mixtures of various cupriferous ores smelted at 
Swansea by the English method. re,|uitc several 
sive operations, entirely disconnected from eaeli other 
and performed In different furnaces. In tin- i 
eral way, the essential order of succession of the rsnou 
processes by which the xulphureted ores (and m-ist arm 
are sulphurets) are treated is as follows: (1> calcination 
or roasting, to oxidize and get rid (as far as pnssihlc) of 
the sulphur; (2) redaction of the metal contained in the 
oxidized combination! obtained; (x) refining, or getting 
rid of the last traces of deleterious metals associated in 
the ores with the useful metal, to obtain which is the c 
sential object of the operation. 
II. iiitniMn. To fuse; melt; dissolve. 
Having too much water, many corns will miilt, or have 
their pulp turned into a substance like thick cream. 
Mortimer, Husbandry. 
smelt a (smelt), H. [< ME. smelt, < AS. gmelt = 
Norw. smelta = Dan. mutlt, a smelt (applied to 
various small fishes); perhaps so called because 
it was 'smooth'; cf. AS. ami-nil, unnjlt, serene, 
smooth (as the sea): see smalt*.] 1. Any one of 
various small fishes, (a) A small fish of the family 
Argentinidie and the genus Osmerus. The common Eu- 
ropean smelt is the sparling, 0. eperlanus; it becomes 
about 10 to 12 inches long, and is of an olive-green above 
and a silvery white below, with a silver longitudinal lateral 
band. It exhales when fresh a peculiar scent suggesting 
the cucumber. This flsh is prized as a delicacy. The cor- 
responding American smelt is 0. mordax, of the Atlantic 
5715 
Smelting-furnace- 
Eastern American Smelt (Otmerns inordaxl. 
coast from Virginia northward, anadromous to some ex- 
tent, and otherwise very similar to the sparling. There are 
several true smelts of the Pacific coast of North America, 
as 0. thaleichthys, the Californian smelt, and O. dentex, the 
Alaska smelt. Hence (6) Any other species of the family 
Argentinidie related to the smelt, such as the Hupomesus 
pretio&itg or olidun, also called surf -smelt, which is distin- 
guished from the true smelts by havitig the dorsal most- 
ly advanced beyond the ventrals and by the much smaller 
mouth and weak teeth. It inhabits the Pacific coast of the 
United States from California northward, reaches a length 
of about 1 2 inches, and is highly esteemed as a food-fish, (c) 
In California, any species of the family Atherinidx, resem- 
bling the true smelt in general appearance, but provided 
with an anterior spinous and a posterior branched dorsal 
fln, and having the ventrals not far behind the pectorals. 
The common Californian smelt, Atherinopsis caltforniensiii, 
reaches a length of about 18 inches, and its flesh is fine, 
firm, and of excellent flavor, though a little dry. It is 
one of the most important food-fishes of California, never 
absent from the markets. Other species are Atherinops 
iijlinix, the little smelt, and Leuresthes tennis, (d) A fresh- 
water cyprinoid, Hyboynathu* regius, which somewhat re- 
sembles the true smelt in form, translucency, and color; 
also, one of other cyprinoids, as the spawn-eater and the 
silversides. [Eastern U.S.] (e) A gadoid flsh, Microyadus 
proximus, the torn-cod of the Pacific slope. [San Fran- 
cisco.] (/) The smolt, a young salmon before its visit to 
the sea. [Eng.] (;/) The lance or lant. See sand-eel, and 
cut under Ainmodytidx. 
2f. A gull ; a simpleton. 
These direct men, they are no men of fashion ; 
Talk what you will, this is a very smelt. 
Fletcher (and another), Love's Pilgrimage, v. 2. 
Cup. What's he, Mercury? 
Her. A notable smelt. B. Jonsm, Cynthia's Revels, ii. 1. 
Mullet-smelt, Atherinopsis californienas. See def. 1 (c). 
New Zealand smelt. See Retropinna. 
smelter (smel'ter), . [< smelt* + -er 1 .] 1. One 
who is engaged in smelting, or who works in 
an establishment where ores are smelted. 2. 
In the Cordilleran region, smelting-works. [Re- 
cent.] 
At Denver is made much of the machinery used at the 
various camps, and to its furnaces and smelters is shipped 
a large proportion of the precious ores. 
Harper's Mag., LXXVI. 950. 
smeltery (smel'ter-i), . ; pi. smelteries (-iz). 
[< smelt* + -cry.'} An establishment or place 
for smelting ores. 
The product of the smeltery in 1886 had a money value 
of $1,105,190.76. Harper's Mag., LXXVII. 592. 
smeltie (smel'ti), . [Dim. of smelt'*.] A kind 
of codfish, the bib. [Scotch.] 
smelting-furnace (smel'ting-fer'nas), n. A fur- 
nace in which metals are separated from their 
ores. See blast-furnace, reverberator y furnace 
(under rererberatory, 2), and cut in next column. 
sm.elting-b.OUSe (smel'ting-hous), . In metal., 
a building erected over a smelting-furnace; 
smeltiug-works. 
smelting-works (smel'ting-werks), . pi. and 
King. A building or set of buildings in which 
the business of smelting ore is carried on. 
Compare smelter, 2. 
smercht, v. An obsolete spelling of smirch. 
a. fire-brick lining ; A, masonry ; <-. opening in the wile of the upper 
part of the furnace through which it is charged ; t, hushes;/, tlirn.tt ; 
if, hearth or crucible ; A, dam-stone ; i, twyer. That part lying beluw 
the widest diameter, above the bustles, is called the shaft. 
smeret, . and >. An obsolete spelling of smear. 
smere-gavelt, . Same &asmear-<inr<l. 
Smerinthus (sme-rin'thus). . [NL. (Latreille, 
1802), < Gr. apiipivOof, fiypivnoc,, a cord, line.] 1. 
A genus of sphinx-moths, of the family Snliini/i- 
dse, having the antennas serrate. S. octllatus is 
the eyed sphinx; S. popttli, the poplar-sphinx; 
and t S. tiJite, the lime-spliinx or hawk-motn. 2. 
[i.e.] A moth of this genus : as, the lime-sier/H- 
tlmx, whose larva feeds on the lime-tree or linden. 
smerkt. An old spelling of smirk*, smirk 2 . 
smerkyt, An obsolete form of smirky. 
smertt, ., r., and a. An old spelling of smart*. 
smetheH, A Middle English form of smooth. 
sniethe-, n. 1. Same as smew. 2. Same as 
smee, 4. 
smew (smu), n. [Prob. a var. (simulating mete* f ) 
of smee, ult. of smeath: see smee, smeath. The 
conjecture that smew is a contraction of "ice- 
mew is untenable, even if such a name as ice- 
mew existed.] A small merganser or fishing- 
duck, Mergellus albellun, the white nun, or smee, 
of the family Anatidse and subfamily Merginee, 
Smilax 
smlcket i -mik'ct i. a. [<./. / i with 11-11.. 
nation of flu- vdwi-1) + -/7.J A xmock. [1'mv. 
Bng.] 
Wide antlers, which hud Mhllimi grac'd 
A htag' bold luiiv,, on pitchforks pl.i 
.' I'lllhpklh 
And the w 1 
\ ' Tuura, ii. 5. (bavin.) 
Slllicklyt (smik'li), nilf. [< "xHiii-k, var. of .,</ 
(or a]ipun>iit base ..i + -///-.] N 
ly; trimly; amorously. 
/;.<. What '- he,- thiit look* MI m: 
1'ii. A Mnti tiller in a ftjitik* |':in, still hkipping; . . . bee's 
an Italian duncer. Delrker anil i'r<l sun's Darling, 11 
Smicra (smik'ni). ;/. [NL. (Spiiiula, 1H11), < 
(ir. -mall : si-c /icro.] 
A genus of parasitic hyinrni)|>t<Ti)iis insi-ctg, of 
the family t'ltnlriilidte, having enlarged hiod 
femora, armed with one or two large teeth fol- 
lowed by numerous smaller ones. Most of th<< 
American species which have been placed in 
this genus belong to the allied genus Spiloehal- 
cis. 
Smew (Mergtltits al&ellus), adult male. 
inhabiting northerly parts of the eastern hemi- 
sphere. The male in adult plumage is a very beautiful 
bird, of a pure white, varied with black and gray, and 
tinged with green on the crested head ; the length is about 
17 inches. The female is smaller, with reddish-brown and 
gray plumage, and is called the red-headed smew. Also 
smeath. Hooded smew, the hooded merganser, Lopho- 
di/tes cucuttatus, resembling and related to the above, but 
of another genus. See cut under merganser. 
smickert (smik'er), a. [< ME. smiker, < AS. 
*smicor,*fnicer,snticere,smicre=OIlQ.smeli>iar, 
smechar, MHG. smecker, neat, elegant; perhaps 
related to MHG. smicke, sminkt, Q. schminke, 
paint, rouge; but the Svr.smickra = Dan. sm lyre, 
flatter, Sw. smicker = Dan. smiger, flattery, be- 
long to a prob. different root, MHG. smeirlirln. 
G. schmeieheln, flatter, freq. of MHG. smeichen, 
flatter, MLG. smeken, smeiken = D. smeeken, sup- 
plicate ; OHG. smeih, smeich, MHG. smeich, flat- 
tery. Cf. smug.] 1. Elegant; fine; gay. 
He fell off heffne dun . . . 
And warrth till atell defell thssr 
Off shene and smikerr enngell. 
Ormiilum, 1. 13679. 
Herdgroom, what gars thy pipe to go so loud? 
Why bin thy looks so smicker and so proud? 
Peek, An Eclogue. 
2. Amorous. 
smickert (smik'er), v. i. [< smicker, a.] To 
look amorously. Kersey. 
smickeringt (smik'er-ing), 11. [Verbal n. of 
smicktr, r.] An amorous inclination. 
We had a young Doctour, who rode by our coach, and 
seem'd to have a smickrrinn to our young lady of Pllton. 
Dryden, Letters, p. 88 (To Mrs. Steward, Sept 28, 1099). 
smiddum-tails (sinid'nin-I.-ilx'. n. /</. |< 
ilinii, var. of smeddum, + tnil* (pi. tail", ends, 
'foots')-] In mining, the sludge or slimy part 
deposited in washing ore. /vw;"(/>. 
smiddy (smid'i), . ; pi. smiddicg (-iz). A dia- 
lectal variant of miiitlii/. 
smidgen (smij'en), n. [Origin obscure; per- 
haps for orig.*smitctiiiig, < smitch + -IMJ/S.] A 
small piece ; a small quantity. 
Smidgen, "a small bit, a grain," as "a smidgen of 
meal," Is common in East Tennessee. 
Tram. Amer. I'hilol. An., XVII. 43. 
smift (smift), n. [Origin obscure.] A bit of 
touchwood, touch-paper, greased candle-wick, 
or paper or cotton dipped in melted sulphur, 
used to ignite the train or squib in blasting. 
This old method of setting off a blast has been almost en- 
tirely done away with by the Introduction of the safety- 
fuse. Also called muff. 
smightt, r. Ati obsolete erroneous spelling of 
minlc. 
Smilaceae (smi-la'se-), u. pi. [NL. (R. Brown, 
1810), for 'Smilacacex, < Smilajc (Smilac-) + 
-flce.] A group of monocotyledonous plants, by 
many regarded as a distinct order, but now class- 
ed as a tribe of the order Liliaccee. It is charac- 
terized by a sarmentose or climbing stem, three- to five- 
nerved leaves, anthers apparently of a single cell, the 
inner cell being very narrow, and ovules solitary or twin. 
It Includes the typical genus Smilax, and 2 small genera 
of about 5 species each, Heterotrmilax of eastern Asia, and 
Rhipogonum of Australia and N'ew Zealand. 
Smilacina(smi-la-si'na),H. [NL. (Desfontaines, 
1807), < Smilax (-izo) +' -IHI.] A genus of lilia- 
ceous plants, of the tribe Polygona teee. It U char- 
acterized by flowers in a terminal panicle or raceme with 
a spreading six-parted perianth, six stamens, and a three- 
celled ovary which becomes in fruit a globose pulpy berry, 
often with but a single seed. There are about 20 species, 
all natives of the northern hemisphere ; 3 occur in the 
eastern and 3 in the Pacific United .States only one, S. 
gtellata, being common to both ; 7 species are natives of 
Mexico and Central America, and others are found in Asia. 
They are somewhat delicate plants, producing an erect un- 
branched leafy stem from a creeping rootstock, and bear- 
ing alternate short-petioled leaves and small usually white 
or cream-colored flowers. They are known by the name 
of false Solomon's-teal, especially S. racrmosa, the larger 
Eastern species, the rhizome of which is said to be diu- 
retic, diaphoretic, and a mild alterative. 
Smilax (smi'laks),i, [NL. (Tournefort, 1700),< 
L. smilajc, < Gr. ofu).a%, the yew (also/u/.of ), also 
a kind of evergreen oak; o//(/af w/ira/a, 'garden 
smilax,' a leguminous plant, the fruit of which 
was dressed and eaten like kidney-beans; o/ti- 
/>xf ?.f/o, ' smooth smilax,' a kind of bindweed 
or convolvulus.] 1. A genus of liliaceous 
plants, type of the 
tribe Smilareie. Ills 
characterized by dioe- 
cious flowers in um- 
bels, with a perianth 
of six distinct curving 
segments, the fertile 
containing several, 
sometimes six, thread- 
shaped staminodes, 
three broad recurved 
stigmas, and a three- 
celled ovary which be- 
comes in fruit a glo- 
bose berry usually con- 
taining but one or two 
seeds. There are about 
200 species, widely 
scattered through 
most tropical and tem- 
perate regions; 11 oc- 
cur in the northeastern 
United States. They 
are usually woody 
vines from a stout root- 
stock, bearing alter- 
nate two-ranked ever- 
green leaves with retic- 
I- lowering Branch of Smila* i 
/o/w. .', the fruit. 
