mellitus

Forms

mellītus (feminine mellīta, neuter mellītum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin mel (“honey”) + -ītus, “honeyed”.^[2][1] De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of mel, which goes back to Proto-Italic *meli and Proto-Indo-European *mel-i(-t) (“honey”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan's first author is Varro,^[3] who speaks of honeycombs full of honey, favī mellītī.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense was “containing honey” or “sweetened with honey”, as of cakes and sweets.^[2][5] From the start it was also an endearment: Cicero writes of mellītus Cicerō, “sweet little Cicero”.^[2][5] Wiktionary also records the masculine as a noun, “darling, honey”.^[1]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of honeycombs.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it as an endearment in a letter.^[2][4]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of honey cakes.^[5][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of honey, containing honey.^[2][5]
2. Sweetened with honey, honey-sweet.^[5][1]
3. (figurative) Sweet as honey, darling, lovely.^[2][5]

Word family

• mellitulus

Related words

• mel
• melculum
• mella
• mellārium
• mellārius
• melleus
• mulsus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press