mellifluous
[ muh-lif-loo-uhs ]
/ məˈlɪf lu əs /
adjective
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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Nearby words
mellaril, meller, mellers, melliferous, mellifluent, mellifluous, melliphagous, mellite, mellitum, mellon, mellon, andrew william
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 FOR mellifluous
Related formsmel·lif·lu·ous·ly, adverbmel·lif·lu·ous·ness, nounun·mel·lif·lu·ous, adjectiveun·mel·lif·lu·ous·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for mellifluous
British Dictionary definitions for mellifluous
mellifluous
mellifluent
/ (mɪˈlɪflʊəs) /
adjective
(of sounds or utterances) smooth or honeyed; sweet
Derived Formsmellifluously or mellifluently, adverbmellifluousness or mellifluence, noun
Word Origin for mellifluous
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
mellifluous
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper