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mel·low (mĕlō)
Share:
adj. mel·low·er, mel·low·est
1.
a. Soft, sweet, juicy, and full-flavored because of ripeness: a mellow fruit.
b. Suggesting softness or sweetness: "The mellow air brought in the feel of imminent autumn" (Thomas Hardy).
2.
a. Flavorful and mild or smooth, as from being properly matured: a mellow wine.
b. Soft and pleasant; not harsh: a mellow voice; mellow light.
3. Gentle and understanding, especially from being mature or experienced: "She had seen him as a survival of a leisurely and tolerant age, a mellow man" (Elisabeth Ogilvie).
4. Relaxed and unhurried; easygoing: a mellow friend; a mellow conversation.
5. Slang Slightly and pleasantly intoxicated.
6. Moist, rich, soft, and loamy. Used of soil.
tr. & intr.v. mel·lowed, mel·low·ing, mel·lows
To make or become mellow.
Phrasal Verb:
mellow out Slang
To become genial and pleasant; relax: "The cowboy mellowed out when they read him a sweet letter from his wife" (Bobbie Ann Mason).

[Middle English melwe, perhaps from melowe, oblique case of mele, ground grain, meal; see MEAL1.]

mellow·ly adv.
mellow·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.