Translingual

Etymology

Ancient Greek μέλισσα ‎(mélissa, “honey bee”) (compare Melissa), which in turn comes from μέλι ‎(méli, “honey”).

Proper noun

Melissa f

1. A taxonomic genus within the family Lamiaceae - lemon balm.

Hypernyms

• (genus): Plantae - kingdom; angiosperms, eudicots, core eudicots, asterids, euasterids I - clades; Lamiales - order; Lamiaceae - family; Nepetoideae - subfamily; Mentheae - tribe

Hyponyms

• (genus): Melissa officinalis - type species; Melissa axillaris, Melissa bicornis, Melissa flava, Melissa yunnanensis - other species

English

Proper noun

Melissa

1. (Greek mythology) Bee-nymph in Greek mythology.
2. A female given name. Popular in the latter half of the 20th century.

Quotations

• 1596 Edmund Spenser: The Faerie Queene. Book 6, Canto XII:

  And her owne handmayd, that Melissa hight

  Appointed to attend her dewly day and night

• 1841 Charles Dickens: The Old Curiosity Shop. Chapman and Hall 1841. page 123:

  Miss Melissa Wackles was the eldest daughter, Miss Sophy the next, and Miss Jane the youngest.

• 1959 Nicholas Blake: The Widow's Cruise. page 9:

  - - - by Mrs. Melissa Blaydon and Miss Ianthe Ambrose.

  "Well, they may be sisters," said Nigel. "Those elegant, classical Christian names suggest one father.

Translations

Anagrams

• aimless

Danish

Proper noun

Melissa

1. A female given name, cognate to Melissa.

German

Proper noun

Melissa

1. A female given name, cognate to Melissa.

Italian

Proper noun

Melissa f

1. A female given name, cognate to Melissa.

Anagrams

• limasse
• messali

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin Melissa, from Ancient Greek Μέλισσα ‎(Mélissa), from μέλισσα ‎(mélissa, “bee”).

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /me.ˈli.sɐ/

Proper noun

Melissa f

1. A female given name, equivalent to English Melissa
2. (Greek mythology) Melissa (nymph who discovered and taught the use of honey)

Swedish

Proper noun

Melissa

1. A female given name, cognate to Melissa.

English

Noun

melissa ‎(plural melissas)

1. A plant of the Melissa genus, especially lemon balm, often used medicinally.
   • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.4.1.iii:

     Melissa, Bawm, hath an admirable vertue to alter melancholy, be it steeped in our ordinary drink, extracted, or otherwise taken.

Synonyms

• dropsywort, honey plant

Translations

Finnish

Noun

melissa

1. melissa (plant of the genus Melissa)

Declension

Compounds

• sitruunamelissa

Italian

Noun

melissa f ‎(plural melisse)

1. lemon balm

Anagrams

• limasse, messali