Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The melting of a wire or other electric conductor by an electric current of too great quantity.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To burn till the fuel is exhausted.
  • intransitive verb To stop functioning due to failure of some component caused by the heat of the electrical current used in its operation; -- of electrical devices.
  • intransitive verb To become apathetic or depressed, and cease to function effectively, due to the fatigue and frustration of prolonged stress and overwork; -- of people.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To extinguish due to lack of fuel.
  • verb idiomatic To tire due to overwork.
  • verb idiomatic To make (someone) unavailable for work involving exposure to ionizing radiation by employing (the person) in such work until the person's accumulated exposure reaches the maximum permitted for an administrative period, typically a year.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb melt, break, or become otherwise unusable

Etymologies

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