Added 9 October 2026
mellow
/ˈmɛləʊ/ adjective
In Latin: mītis Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mellow at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
noun
- The property of being mellow; mellowness.
- A comfortable or relaxed mood.
- Also main mellow: a close friend or lover.
verb
-
To cause (fruit) to become soft or tender, specifically by ripening. To cause (food or drink, for example, cheese or wine, or its flavour) to become matured and smooth, and not acidic, harsh, or sharp. To soften (land or soil) and make it suitable for planting in. To reduce or remove the harshness or roughness from (something); to soften, to subdue, to tone down. To cause (a person) to become calmer, gentler, and more understanding, particularly from age or experience.
The fervour of early feeling is tempered and mellowed by the ripeness of age.
- To cause (fruit) to become soft or tender, specifically by ripening.
- To cause (food or drink, for example, cheese or wine, or its flavour) to become matured and smooth, and not acidic, harsh, or sharp.
Origin
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English melowe, melwe (“ripe, mellow; juicy; sweet”) [and other forms]; further etymology uncertain, possibly: * from an attributive use of melow, melowe, melewe, mele (“meal from ground grain or legumes; flour; kernel of barley or lentils”) [and other forms], from Old English melo, melu (“meal (edible part of a grain or pulse); flour”), from Proto-Germanic *melwą (“ground corn; meal; flour”), from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to crush; to grind”); or * a variant of Middle English merow, merowe, meruw (“soft, tender; of a person: frail; of love: unstable, variable”) [and other forms], from Old English meru, mearu (“soft, tender; delicate, frail; cal.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)