Melicratory Me·lic"ra·to·ry noun [ Greek
meli`kraton .]
A meadlike drink. [ Obsolete]
Melilite Mel"i·lite (mĕl"ĭ*līt)
noun [ Greek
me`li honey +
-lite ; confer French
mélilithe .]
(Min.) A mineral occurring in small yellow crystals, found in the lavas ( melilite basalt ) of Vesuvius, and elsewhere. [ Written also
mellilite .]
Melilot Mel"i·lot (-lŏt)
noun [ French
mélilot , Latin
melilotus , from Greek ..., ..., a kind of clover containing honey;
me`li honey + ... lotus.]
(Botany) Any species of Melilotus , a genus of leguminous herbs having a vanillalike odor; sweet clover; hart's clover. The blue melilot ( Melilotus cærulea ) is used in Switzerland to give color and flavor to sapsago cheese.
Melilotic Mel`i·lot"ic adjective (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, sweet clover or melilot; specifically, designating an acid of the aromatic series, obtained from melilot as a white crystalline substance.
Mélinite Mé"lin·ite noun [ French]
(Chemistry) A high explosive similar to lyddite, consisting principally of picric acid, used in the French military service.
Meliorate Mel"io·rate (mēl"yo*rāt)
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Meliorated (- rā`tĕd);
present participle & verbal noun Meliorating .] [ Latin
melioratus , past participle of
meliorare to meliorate, from
melior better; akin to Greek
ma^llon rather,
ma`la very. Confer
Ameliorate .]
To make better; to improve; to ameliorate; to soften; to make more tolerable. Nature by art we nobly meliorate .
Denham. The pure and benign light of revelation has had a meliorating influence on mankind.
Washington.
Meliorate Mel"io·rate intransitive verb To grow better.
Meliorater Mel"io·ra`ter noun Same as Meliorator .
Melioration Mel`io·ra"tion noun [ Latin
melioratio .]
The act or operation of meliorating, or the state of being meliorated; improvement. Bacon.
Meliorator Mel"io·ra`tor noun One who meliorates.
Meliorism Mel"io·rism noun [ From Latin
melior better.]
The doctrine that there is a tendency throughout nature toward improvement. J. Sully.
Meliority Mel·ior"i·ty noun [ Late Latin
melioritas , from Latin
melior . See
Meliorate .]
The state or quality of being better; melioration. [ Obsolete]
Bacon.
Meliphagan Me·liph"a·gan adjective [ Greek
me`li honey + ... to eat.]
(Zoology) Belonging to the genus Meliphaga .
Meliphagan Me·liph"a·gan noun (Zoology) Any bird of the genus Meliphaga and allied genera; a honey eater; -- called also meliphagidan .
Meliphagous Me·liph"a·gous adjective [ See
Meliphagan .]
(Zool.) Eating, or feeding upon, honey.
Melisma Me·lis"ma noun ;
plural Melismata . [ New Latin , from Greek
me`lisma a song.]
(Mus.) (a) A piece of melody; a song or tune, -- as opposed to recitative or musical declamation. (b) A grace or embellishment.
Melissa Me·lis"sa noun [ New Latin , from Greek
me`lissa a bee, honey.]
(Botany) A genus of labiate herbs, including the balm, or bee balm ( Melissa officinalis ).
Melissic Me·lis"sic adjective [ Greek
me`lissa a bee, honey.]
(Chemistry) Pertaining to, or derived from, beeswax; specif., denoting an acid obtained by oxidation of myricin.
Melissyl Me·lis"syl noun [
Meliss ic +
yl .]
(Chemistry) See Myricyl .
Melissylene Me·lis"sy·lene noun [
Meliss ic +
-yl +
-ene .]
(Chemistry) See Melene .
Melitose Mel"i·tose` noun [ Greek
me`li honey.]
(Chemistry) A variety of sugar isomeric with sucrose, extracted from cotton seeds and from the so- called Australian manna (a secretion of certain species of Eucalyptus).
Mell Mell intransitive verb & t. [ French
mêler , Old French
meller ,
mester . See
Meddle .]
To mix; to meddle. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Mell Mell noun [ See
Mellifluous .]
Honey. [ Obsolete]
Warner.
Mell Mell noun A mill. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Mellate Mel"late noun [ Latin
mel ,
mellis , honey. Confer
Mellitate .]
(Chemistry) A mellitate. [ R.]
Mellay Mel"lay noun A mêlée; a conflict. Tennyson.
Mellic Mel"lic adjective (Chemistry) See Mellitic . [ R.]
Melliferous Mel·lif"er·ous adjective [ Latin
mellifer ;
mel ,
mellis , honey +
ferre to bear.]
Producing honey.
Mellific Mel·lif"ic adjective [ Latin
mel ,
mellis , honey +
-ficare (in comp.) to make. See
- fy .]
Producing honey.
Mellification Mel`li·fi·ca"tion noun [ Latin
mellificare to make honey: confer French
mellification . See
Mellific .]
The making or production of honey.
Mellifluence Mel·lif"lu·ence noun A flow of sweetness, or a sweet, smooth flow.
Mellifluent Mel·lif"lu·ent adjective [ Latin
mellifluens . See
Mellifluous .]
Flowing as with honey; smooth; mellifluous.
Mellifluently Mel·lif"lu·ent·ly adverb In a mellifluent manner.
Mellifluous Mel·lif"lu·ous adjective [ Latin
mellifluus ;
mel ,
mellis , honey (akin to Greek ..., Goth.
milip ) +
fluere to flow. See
Mildew ,
Fluent , and confer
Marmalade .]
Flowing as with honey; smooth; flowing sweetly or smoothly; as, a mellifluous voice. --
Mel*lif"lu*ous*ly ,
adverb
Melligenous Mel·lig"e·nous adjective [ Latin
mel ,
mellis + -genous .]
Having the qualities of honey. [ R.]
Melligo Mel·li"go noun [ Latin ]
Honeydew.
Melliloquent Mel·lil"o·quent adjective [ Latin
mel ,
mellis honey +
loquens speaking, present participle of
loqui to speak.]
Speaking sweetly or harmoniously.
Melliphagan Mel·liph"a·gan noun See Meliphagan .
Melliphagous Mel·liph"a·gous adjective See Meliphagous .
Mellitate Mel"li·tate noun [ Confer French
mellitate . See
Mellitic .]
(Chemistry) A salt of mellitic acid.
Mellite Mel"lite noun [ Latin
mel ,
mellis , honey: confer French
mellite .]
(Min.) A mineral of a honey color, found in brown coal, and partly the result of vegetable decomposition; honeystone. It is a mellitate of alumina.
Mellitic Mel·lit"ic adjective [ Confer French
mellitique . See
Mellite .]
(Chemistry) (a) Containing saccharine matter; marked by saccharine secretions; as, mellitic diabetes. (b) Pertaining to, or derived from, the mineral mellite. Mellitic acid (Chemistry) ,
a white, crystalline, organic substance, C 6 (CO 2 H) 6 , occurring naturally in combination with aluminium in the mineral mellite, and produced artificially by the oxidation of coal, graphite, etc., and hence called also graphitic acid .
Mellone Mel"lone noun (Chemistry) A yellow powder, C 6 H 3 N 9 , obtained from certain sulphocyanates. It has acid properties and forms compounds called mellonides .
Mellonide Mel"lon·ide noun See Mellone .
Mellow Mel"low adjective [
Compar. Mellower ;
superl. Mellowest .] [ Middle English
melwe ; confer Anglo-Saxon
mearu soft, Dutch
murw , Prov. German
mollig soft, Dutch
malsch , and English
meal flour.]
1. Soft or tender by reason of ripeness; having a tender pulp; as, a mellow apple. 2. Hence:
(a) Easily worked or penetrated; not hard or rigid; as, a mellow soil. "
Mellow glebe."
Drayton (b) Not coarse, rough, or harsh; subdued; soft; rich; delicate; -- said of sound, color, flavor, style, etc. "The
mellow horn."
Wordsworth. "The
mellow -tasted Burgundy."
Thomson. The tender flush whose mellow stain imbues
Heaven with all freaks of light.
Percival. 3. Well matured; softened by years; genial; jovial. May health return to mellow age.
Wordsworth. As merry and mellow an old bachelor as ever followed a hound.
W. Irving. 4. Warmed by liquor; slightly intoxicated. Addison.
Mellow Mel"low transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Mellowed ;
present participle & verbal noun Mellowing .]
To make mellow. Shak. If the Weather prove frosty to mellow it [ the ground], they do not plow it again till April.
Mortimer. The fervor of early feeling is tempered and mellowed by the ripeness of age.
J. C. Shairp.
Mellow Mel"low intransitive verb To become mellow; as, ripe fruit soon mellows . "Prosperity begins to
mellow ."
Shak.
Mellowly Mel"low·ly adverb In a mellow manner.
Mellowness Mel"low·ness noun Quality or state of being mellow.
Mellowy Mel"low·y adjective Soft; unctuous. Drayton.
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