mellitus

Latin

Etymology

From mel (“honey”) +‎ -ītus.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [mɛlˈliː.tʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [melˈliː.tus]

Adjective

mellītus (feminine mellīta, neuter mellītum); first/second-declension adjective

1. of or pertaining to honey

   Synonyms: melinus, mellārius, melleus, mellōsus

   • c. 177 CE, Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae 13.11:

     Neque non de secundis quoque mensis, cuiusmodi esse eas oporteat, praecipit. His enim verbis utitur: "Bellaria" inquit "ea maxime sunt mellita, quae mellita non sunt; πέμμασιν enim cum πέψει societas infida".

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. sweetened with honey, honey-sweet, honeyed

   Synonyms: melleus, melliculus, mellītulus

   • 20 BCE – 14 BCE, Horace, Epistles IX.9–11:

     Quid quaeris? Vivo et regno, simul ista reliqui
     Quae vos ad caelum fertis rumore secundo,
     Utque sacerdotis fugitivus liba recuso,
     Pane egeo iam mellitis potiore placentis.

     What do you want from me? I live, I am my own master, I left behind the self same things you by common approval so eagerly covet, like the fugitive I have no right to the priest's blessed cake, but bread will quench my hunger over any honeyed delicacy.

3. (figuratively) as sweet as honey; honey-sweet, darling, lovely

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	mellītus	mellīta	mellītum		mellītī	mellītae	mellīta
genitive	mellītī	mellītae	mellītī		mellītōrum	mellītārum	mellītōrum
dative	mellītō	mellītae	mellītō		mellītīs
accusative	mellītum	mellītam	mellītum		mellītōs	mellītās	mellīta
ablative	mellītō	mellītā	mellītō		mellītīs
vocative	mellīte	mellīta	mellītum		mellītī	mellītae	mellīta

Derived terms

• Mellita
• mellītulus

Related terms

• mel
• melculum
• melina
• melinus
• mella
• mellāceum
• mellārium
• mellārius
• mellātiō
• melleus
• melliculum
• melliculus
• mellifer
• mellifex
• mellificium
• mellificō
• mellificus
• mellifluēns
• mellifluus
• melliger
• mellīgō
• mellilla
• mellinia
• mellior
• mellō
• mellōsus

Descendants

• Galician: Melide (place name)
• Italian: mellito
• Spanish: remilgo

Noun

mellītus m (genitive mellītī); second declension

1. (figuratively, term of endearment) sweet, darling, honey

   Synonyms: mel, amor

   • c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, Carmina 3.6–7:

     Nam mellitus erat suamque norat
     Ipsam tam bene quam puella matrem; […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	mellītus	mellītī
genitive	mellītī	mellītōrum
dative	mellītō	mellītīs
accusative	mellītum	mellītōs
ablative	mellītō	mellītīs
vocative	mellīte	mellītī

References

• “mellitus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “mellitus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “mellitus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid from Kevin Cawley at the University of Notre Dame Archives.