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English word origin

Etymology of melic

From Latin melicus, from Koine Greek μελικός (melikós), from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “song, lyric”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Of or pertaining to Greek lyric verse.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin melicus, from Koine Greek μελικός (melikós), from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “song, lyric”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "melicus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin melicus"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc-koi",
        "3": "μελικός"
      },
      "expansion": "Koine Greek μελικός (melikós)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "μέλος",
        "4": "",
        "5": "song, lyric"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “song, lyric”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "melicus",
      "melicus#Latin"
    ],
    [
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      "μελικός#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "μέλος",
      "μέλος#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of or pertaining to Greek lyric verse."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Any of various grasses, of the genus Melica, from northern temperate regions.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From translingual Melica (genus name), probably from Italian melica, meliga (“sorghum, millet”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mul",
        "3": "Melica"
      },
      "expansion": "translingual Melica"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "it",
        "3": "melica"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian melica"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Melica",
      "Melica#Translingual"
    ],
    [
      "melica",
      "melica#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "meliga",
      "meliga#Italian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "lang_code": "cy",
      "word": "meligwellt",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "sense": "melic"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any of various grasses, of the genus Melica, from northern temperate regions."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for melic →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWVsaWM