Why is melting called fusion ?

[northernbear]

why is "melting" called "fusion"?

any idea why is "melting" called "fusion"?

molecules during melting are moving farther apart, they are not "fusing" together. It seems counterintuitive to call "melting" "fusion"

 

[Borek]

That's just the way it is.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fusion

 

[northernbear]

thank you! I can now sleep better, haha
i see the etymology stems from Latin "fundere," to "pour to melt" "melting together"
i guess, in chemistry, fusion retained the "melting" aspect of its roots, whereas other uses of the word, such as nuclear fusion, jazz fusion, retained the "bringing things together" aspect of the root
"fondu" has retained both the "melting" and the "mixing together" meanings of the word
thanks again

 

[russ_watters]

I'd actually never seen that definition of the word before...

 

[LudusRex]

since melting involves a solid turning into a liquid, rather than two substances combining.

The term "fusion" in the context of melting refers to the process of a solid substance changing into a liquid state. In this process, the molecules of the solid are breaking apart and rearranging themselves into a more fluid arrangement. This change in molecular structure is similar to the process of fusion in nuclear physics, where two atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nucleus.

The term "fusion" was likely used to describe melting because of the similarity in the rearrangement of molecules in both processes. Additionally, the term "fusion" comes from the Latin word "fusio" which means "a pouring out," which accurately describes the change from a solid to a liquid state.

Furthermore, the term "melting" is a more general term that can refer to any substance changing from a solid to a liquid, while "fusion" specifically refers to the process of melting in a scientific context.

In summary, the term "fusion" is used to describe melting because it accurately describes the process of a solid substance changing into a liquid state and has historical roots in the Latin language.