Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries

mellifluous

- 4 dictionary results

mel⋅lif⋅lu⋅ous

  [muh-lif-loo-uhs]
Use mellifluous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding: a mellifluous voice; mellifluous tones.
2. flowing with honey; sweetened with or as if with honey.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < LL mellifluus, equiv. to L melli- (s. of mel) honey + -flu(ere) to flow + -us adj. suffix (see -ous )

Related forms:
mel⋅lif⋅lu⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
mel⋅lif⋅lu⋅ous⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. melodious, musical, dulcet, harmonious.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To mellifluous
mel·lif·lu·ous   (mə-lĭf'lōō-əs)   
adj.  
  1. Flowing with sweetness or honey.
  2. Smooth and sweet: "polite and cordial, with a mellifluous, well-educated voice" (H.W. Crocker III).

[Middle English, from Late Latin mellifluus : Latin mel, mell-, honey; see melit- in Indo-European roots + Latin -fluus, flowing; see bhleu- in Indo-European roots.]
mel·lif'lu·ous·ly adv., mel·lif'lu·ous·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Mellifluous

Mel*lif"lu*ous\, a. [L. mellifluus; mel, mellis, honey (akin to Gr. ?, Goth. milip) + fluere to flow. See Mildew, Fluent, and cf. Marmalade.] Flowing as with honey; smooth; flowing sweetly or smoothly; as, a mellifluous voice. -- Mel*lif"lu*ous*ly, adv.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

mellifluous 
1432, from L.L. mellifluus "flowing with (or as if with) honey," from L. mel (gen. mellis) "honey" + -fluus "flowing," from fluere "to flow" (see fluent).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see mellifluous on Thesaurus | Reference
>