mellifluous
adjective
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Use Mellifluous to Describe Your Dinner Date
Have a bee in your bonnet to learn some mellifluous facts? Sweet—we won’t make you comb for them. Mellifluous comes from two Latin roots: the noun mel, meaning “honey,” and the verb fluere, meaning “to flow.” These linguistic components flowed smoothly together into the Late Latin word mellifluus, then continued on into the Middle English word mellyfluous, before crystallizing into the adjective we employ today. As it has for centuries, mellifluous typically and figuratively describes sound, and is often at the tip of the tongues of writers who proclaim that a voice or melody is smooth like molasses (molasses, like mellifluous, is a descendant of the Latin mel). But mellifluous can also be used to describe edibles and potables, such as wine, with a pronounced note of sweetness.
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Examples of mellifluous in a Sentence
Emma Specter, Vogue, 20 Nov. 2024
The British actor finds the humor and sensitivity in his lustful swain, and his mellifluous voice is perfectly matched to Shakespeare’s prose.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
The Stage Arrangement Looks Otherworldly Powered by mellifluous melodies and surrealistic soundscapes fit for video games, Gunna is all about immersion, and his stage set here only accentuated the effect.
—Peter A. Berry, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2024
With her luxurious blond curls, coquettish demeanor and mellifluous voice, Carpenter, 25, fills any pop star void with polished songs infused with a speck of tang.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Mellifluous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mellifluous. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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mellifluous
adjective
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