mellifluus

Forms

mellifluus (feminine melliflua, neuter mellifluum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin mel (“honey”) + fluō (“to flow”).^[2][3][4] Wiktionary analyses the second part as the adjectival ending -fluus (“flowing”).^[1] The first part goes back to Proto-Indo-European *mel-i(-t) (“honey”), the second to *bʰleuH- (“to flow (over)”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest author the TLL and Köbler cite is Chalcidius (c. 300 AD), who in his commentary on the Timaeus uses it figuratively of the sweet song of the Sirens moving with the heavenly circles.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short class it as post-classical.^[6] Its literal sense, “flowing with honey”, is found in Avienus, of caves on Pallene,^[6][2] but most uses are figurative, of sweet sounds and speech: Boethius calls Homer melliflui oris “of the honey-flowing mouth”, and Dracontius speaks of melliflua labra “honeyed lips”.^[3][6]

In Christian and medieval Latin it meant generally sweet or delightful.^[7][8] British writers used it of honey-bearing bees and flowers, of sweet teaching, and in mellifluus potus for mead.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 300 AD – Chalcidius calls the Sirens' song mellifluam cantilenam.^[2][4]
• mid 4th century AD – Avienus uses it literally of honey-flowing caves.^[6][2][4]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine, in De musica, quotes a poet who addresses the Camenae with melliflui sonores.^[3][2][4]
• c. 485–c. 580 AD – Cassiodorus writes of mellifluos clamores in the Variae.^[3][4]
• 672 – Aldhelm, in a letter, writes of a honey-bearing swarm.^[9]
• early 15th century – English borrows it as mellifluous.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Flowing or dripping with honey.^[6][2][11]
2. (figurative) Sweet-sounding, mellifluous, of speech or song.^[6][3][2]
3. (Ecclesiastical Latin, Medieval Latin) sweet, delightful.^[7][8]
4. (Medieval Latin) In mellifluus potus: mead.^[9]

Related words

• English mellifluous

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.