melliferous

American  

[muh-lif-er-uhs] / məˈlɪf ər əs /

adjective

1. yielding or producing honey.

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melliferous British  

/ mɪˈlɪfɪk, mɪˈlɪfərəs /

adjective

1. forming or producing honey

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Etymology

Origin of melliferous

1650–60; < Latin mellifer honey-bearing ( melli-, stem of mel honey + -fer -fer ) + -ous

Explanation

Those flowers in the park that the bees love are melliferous, because the nectar they produce allows bees to make honey. Melliferous describes things that produce honey or provide the means to produce it. Honeybees, for example, are melliferous creatures, and flowers that produce nectar are melliferous, too, as they provide the raw material that bees need to make honey. Mel is a Latin word meaning "honey," and it has influenced many languages; for instance, the words for honey in Welsh (mêl), Irish (mil), and French (miel) all share this root. Another English word derived from this root is mellifluous, which describes a sound that is sweet and smooth like flowing honey.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

melliferous

Sir: My favorite from the melliferous mouth of Senator Ev came out in Senate debate some years ago.

From Time Magazine Archive

The bees," says De Layens, "would seem to be perfectly informed as to the locality, the relative melliferous value, and the distance of every melliferous plant within a certain radius from the hive.

From The Life of the Bee by Alfred Sutro

“Is it melliferous, then?” asked Vic, with a smile.

From The Red Man's Revenge A Tale of The Red River Flood by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne

The great idle drones, asleep in unconscious groups on the melliferous walls, are rudely torn from their slumbers by an army of wrathful virgins.

From The Life of the Bee by Alfred Sutro

We find even to-day, among the melliferous hymenoptera, all the stages of progressive civilisation of our own domestic bee.

From The Life of the Bee by Alfred Sutro