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mild

(mīld)

adj. mild·er, mild·est

1. Gentle or kind in disposition, manners, or behavior.

a. Moderate in type, degree, effect, or force: a mild pipe tobacco; a mild sedative.

b. Not extreme: a mild winter storm.

c. Warm and full of sunshine; pleasant: a mild spring day; mild weather in June.

3. Not severe or acute: a mild fever.

4. Easily molded, shaped, or worked; malleable: mild steel.

intr.v. mild·ed, mild·ing, milds

Texas & Virginia To diminish or decrease. Used of the wind or a storm. See Note at fair¹.

[Middle English, from Old English milde; see mel-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

mildly adv.

mildness n.

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.

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