Melissa

See also: melissa and Mélissa

Translingual

Melissa officinalis

Etymology

Ancient Greek μέλισσα (mélissa, “honey bee”) (compare Melissa), which in turn comes from μέλι (méli, “honey”).

Proper noun

Melissa f

1. A taxonomic genus within the family Lamiaceae – lemon balm.

Hypernyms

• (genus): Eukaryota – superkingdom; Plantae – kingdom; Viridiplantae – subkingdom; Streptophyta – infrakingdom; Embryophyta – superphylum; Tracheophyta – phylum; Spermatophytina – subphylum; angiosperms, eudicots, core eudicots, asterids, euasterids I – clades; Lamiales – order; Lamiaceae – family; Nepetoideae – subfamily; Mentheae – tribe; Salvinae – subtribe

Hyponyms

• (genus): Melissa officinalis – type species; Melissa axillaris, Melissa flava, Melissa yunnanensis – other species

References

• Melissa (plant) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Melissa on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Melissa (Lamiaceae) on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Melissa at USDA Plants database

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μέλισσα (mélissa, “bee, honey, or honeybee”). In Ireland it is sometimes used as a feminine form of the Gaelic male name Maol Íosa (literally “servant of Jesus”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /məˈlɪsə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪsə

Proper noun

Melissa

1. (Greek mythology) Bee-nymph in Greek mythology.
2. A female given name from Ancient Greek, popular in the latter half of the 20th century.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     And her owne handmayd, that Melissa hight / Appointed to attend her dewly day and night

   • 1840 April – 1841 November, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the chapter number or name)”, in The Old Curiosity Shop. A Tale. […], London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1841, →OCLC:

     Miss Melissa Wackles was the eldest daughter, Miss Sophy the next, and Miss Jane the youngest.

   • 1959, Nicholas Blake, The Widow's Cruise, page 9:

     - - - by Mrs. Melissa Blaydon and Miss Ianthe Ambrose.
     "Well, they may be sisters," said Nigel. "Those elegant, classical Christian names suggest one father.

   • 2016 August 31, “GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Mark Watney”, in Industrial Scripts‎^[1]:

     The first line of dialogue is from an off-screen Field Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), asking the team to stay in sight and “make NASA proud”.

Translations

female given name

• Albanian: Meljisa f
• Cherokee: ᎺᎵᏌ (melisa)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 梅麗莎 / 梅丽莎

  Mandarin: 梅利莎 (Méilìshā)

• Danish: Melissa
• Finnish: Melissa (fi)
• French: Mélissa (fr)
• German: Melissa (de)
• Greek: Μέλισσα (el) f (Mélissa)
• Irish: Maolíosa
• Italian: Melissa (it)
• Japanese: メリッサ (Merissa)
• Korean: 멜리사 (Mellisa)
• Persian: ملیسا (melisâ)
• Portuguese: Melissa (pt) f
• Russian: Мелисса (ru) f (Melissa)
• Serbo-Croatian: Мелиса f, Melisa (sh) f
• Swedish: Melissa (sv) c
• Thai: เมลิสสา (Melis̄s̄ā)
• Turkish: Melisa (tr)

See also

• Melitta (< μέλιττα (mélitta))

Anagrams

• aimless, Milases, Salemis, misseal, mesails, Esmails, Maisels, seismal, samiels

Danish

Proper noun

Melissa

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Melissa

Finnish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μέλισσα (mélissa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmelisːɑ/, [ˈme̞lis̠ːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -elisːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): Me‧lis‧sa
• Hyphenation^(key): Me‧lis‧sa

Proper noun

Melissa

1. a female given name

Declension

Inflection of Melissa (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		Melissa	Melissat
genitive		Melissan	Melissojen
partitive		Melissaa	Melissoja
illative		Melissaan	Melissoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Melissa	Melissat
accusative	nom.	Melissa	Melissat
	gen.	Melissan
genitive		Melissan	Melissojen Melissain rare
partitive		Melissaa	Melissoja
inessive		Melissassa	Melissoissa
elative		Melissasta	Melissoista
illative		Melissaan	Melissoihin
adessive		Melissalla	Melissoilla
ablative		Melissalta	Melissoilta
allative		Melissalle	Melissoille
essive		Melissana	Melissoina
translative		Melissaksi	Melissoiksi
abessive		Melissatta	Melissoitta
instructive		—	Melissoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Melissa (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Melissani Melissani accusative nom. Melissani Melissani gen. Melissani genitive Melissani Melissojeni Melissaini rare partitive Melissaani Melissojani inessive Melissassani Melissoissani elative Melissastani Melissoistani illative Melissaani Melissoihini adessive Melissallani Melissoillani ablative Melissaltani Melissoiltani allative Melissalleni Melissoilleni essive Melissanani Melissoinani translative Melissakseni Melissoikseni abessive Melissattani Melissoittani instructive — — comitative — Melissoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Melissasi Melissasi accusative nom. Melissasi Melissasi gen. Melissasi genitive Melissasi Melissojesi Melissaisi rare partitive Melissaasi Melissojasi inessive Melissassasi Melissoissasi elative Melissastasi Melissoistasi illative Melissaasi Melissoihisi adessive Melissallasi Melissoillasi ablative Melissaltasi Melissoiltasi allative Melissallesi Melissoillesi essive Melissanasi Melissoinasi translative Melissaksesi Melissoiksesi abessive Melissattasi Melissoittasi instructive — — comitative — Melissoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Melissamme Melissamme accusative nom. Melissamme Melissamme gen. Melissamme genitive Melissamme Melissojemme Melissaimme rare partitive Melissaamme Melissojamme inessive Melissassamme Melissoissamme elative Melissastamme Melissoistamme illative Melissaamme Melissoihimme adessive Melissallamme Melissoillamme ablative Melissaltamme Melissoiltamme allative Melissallemme Melissoillemme essive Melissanamme Melissoinamme translative Melissaksemme Melissoiksemme abessive Melissattamme Melissoittamme instructive — — comitative — Melissoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Melissanne Melissanne accusative nom. Melissanne Melissanne gen. Melissanne genitive Melissanne Melissojenne Melissainne rare partitive Melissaanne Melissojanne inessive Melissassanne Melissoissanne elative Melissastanne Melissoistanne illative Melissaanne Melissoihinne adessive Melissallanne Melissoillanne ablative Melissaltanne Melissoiltanne allative Melissallenne Melissoillenne essive Melissananne Melissoinanne translative Melissaksenne Melissoiksenne abessive Melissattanne Melissoittanne instructive — — comitative — Melissoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative Melissansa Melissansa accusative nom. Melissansa Melissansa gen. Melissansa genitive Melissansa Melissojensa Melissainsa rare partitive Melissaansa Melissojaan Melissojansa inessive Melissassaan Melissassansa Melissoissaan Melissoissansa elative Melissastaan Melissastansa Melissoistaan Melissoistansa illative Melissaansa Melissoihinsa adessive Melissallaan Melissallansa Melissoillaan Melissoillansa ablative Melissaltaan Melissaltansa Melissoiltaan Melissoiltansa allative Melissalleen Melissallensa Melissoilleen Melissoillensa essive Melissanaan Melissanansa Melissoinaan Melissoinansa translative Melissakseen Melissaksensa Melissoikseen Melissoiksensa abessive Melissattaan Melissattansa Melissoittaan Melissoittansa instructive — — comitative — Melissoineen Melissoinensa

Statistics

• Melissa is the 314^th most common female given name in Finland, belonging to 1,509 female individuals (and as a middle name to 1,122 more), according to August 2025 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

German

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μέλισσα (mélissa, “bee”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈlɪsa/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Me‧lis‧sa

Proper noun

Melissa

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Melissa

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈlis.sa/
• Rhymes: -issa
• Hyphenation: Me‧lìs‧sa

Proper noun

Melissa f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Melissa

Anagrams

• limasse, messali

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Melissa, from Ancient Greek Μέλισσα (Mélissa), from μέλισσα (mélissa, “bee”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /meˈli.sɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /meˈli.sɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /meˈli.sa/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɨˈli.sɐ/

Proper noun

Melissa f

1. a female given name from Ancient Greek, equivalent to English Melissa
2. (Greek mythology) Melissa (nymph who discovered and taught the use of honey)

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Melissa c (genitive Melissas)

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Melissa