mellifluous

adj.

1. Flowing with sweetness or honey.
2. Smooth and sweet: "polite and cordial, with a mellifluous, well-educated voice" (H.W. Crocker III).

[Middle English, from Late Latin mellifluus : Latin mel, mell-, honey + Latin -fluus, flowing.]

mellifluously mel·lif'lu·ous·ly adv.
mellifluousness mel·lif'lu·ous·ness n.

(muh-LIF-LOO-uhs)

adjective
Smoothly or sweetly flowing, as if like honey.

Etymology
From Middle English, from Late Latin mellifluus, from melli-, from Latin mel (honey) + fluere (to flow)

Some other words that come from the same root are marmalade, molasses, and the unlikely mildew! One word that has somewhat similar sense and sound but different root is melodious (from melos: song). -Anu

Usage
"The lambada, a mellifluous, nearly licentious dance from the north-east part of Brazil, piqued the world's interest (and briefly Hollywood's) early in this decade." — What makes Brazil Brazilian? (Brazilians' Passion for Dancing), The Economist (London), Mar 30, 1996.

"Lincoln Center provided a symbolic glossary: the good guys wear green and white, the villains red. Heroes sing mellifluous chant; villains speak; women are played by heavily veiled men." — Edward Rothstein, A Gap Between Cultures Crying Out for a Bridge, The New York Times, Jul 20, 2002. If you live in Seattle area, join me in a discussion on words on the program "Weekday" on Seattle's NPR affiliate KUOW Radio 94.9 FM, today, Fri, Aug 9, 2002 during 9-10 AM PDT. The call-in number is (800) 289-KUOW. -Anu

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adj

Definition: sweet-sounding
Antonyms: cacophonous

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adjective has one meaning:

Meaning #1: pleasing to the ear
  Synonyms: dulcet, honeyed, mellisonant, sweet

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - sødtklingende, smeltende, honningsød

Nederlands (Dutch)
honingzoet, vloeiend/ rijk, gevuld met zoet

Français (French)
adj. - mélodieux

Deutsch (German)
adj. - einschmeichelnd

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - μελιστάλακτος, μελίρρυτος

Italiano (Italian)
mellifluo

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - melífluo

Русский (Russian)
медоносный, сладкозвучный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - melifluo

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - honungsljuv

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
如蜜般的, 流畅的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 如蜜般的, 流暢的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 소리가 좋은, 유창한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - やわらかで美しい, 蜜のたっぷり入った

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) معسول, منساب برقه, محلى بالعسل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮ערב (קול), מתוק‬

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