Mel lif …
Melli … foo … lus?
Nope, that’s not it.
FLU.
M-E-L L-I F-L-U U-S
Mellifluous
Got it!
Now that I’ve untwisted my tongue, here it is: mel·li·flu·us.
Doesn’t that have a sweet ring to it? The fact is, this dulcet adjective is defined as “flowing with sweetness or honey.”
It can also be used to describe a particularly melodious sound (I awoke to the mellifluous song of a meadowlark at dawn.) Think melodious, mellisonant, ariose, euphonious … ahhhhh.
I dare you to use it in casual conversation.
I double dare you to master its other fabulous forms:
mellifluence (noun)
mellifluousness (noun)
mellifluously (adverb)
mellifluently (adverb)
Sweeeet!
Western meadowlark singing mellifluously. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Alan Vernon.
