mellifluous
[muh-lif-loo-uhs]
- sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding: a mellifluous voice; mellifluous tones.
- flowing with honey; sweetened with or as if with honey.
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Origin of mellifluous
1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin mellifluus, equivalent to Latin melli- (stem of mel) honey + -flu(ere) to flow + -us adj. suffix (see -ous)
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
agreeable, dulcet, fluid, honeyed, mellow, pleasing, resonant, soothing, tuneful, euphonic, harmonic, symphonious, mellifluent, songful, tunedExamples from the Web for mellifluous
Contemporary Examples
In or out of uniform his motion is languid, his voice relaxed and mellifluous, his movements deliberate, confident.
And Costas is, after all, a guy who is famous for his mellifluous commentary on balls and strikes, touchdowns and field goals.
Historical Examples
“Good morning,” the other replied in a soft and mellifluous voice.
"Of course, she cares for her infant," continued Ulita, in a mellifluous voice.
A Family of NoblemenMikhal Saltykov
It is indescribable how soft and mellifluous his voice had now become.
Kennedy SquareF. Hopkinson Smith
Only the map of Australia, with its mellifluous Maori names, can match it.
The American LanguageHenry L. Mencken
First it was to German strains, soft, equable, and mellifluous.
mellifluous
mellifluent
- (of sounds or utterances) smooth or honeyed; sweet
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Word Origin
C15: from Late Latin mellifluus flowing with honey, from Latin mel honey + fluere to flow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for mellifluous
adj.
early 15c., "sweet, pleasing" (of an odor, a style of speaking or writing, etc.), from Late Latin mellifluus "flowing with (or as if with) honey," from Latin mel (genitive mellis) "honey" (related to Greek meli "honey;" see Melissa) + -fluus "flowing," from fluere "to flow" (see fluent). Related: Melifluously; melifluousness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper