Melissa
//məˈlɪsə// name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A plant of the genus Melissa, especially lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), often used medicinally.
"Meliſſa, Bawme, hath an excellent vertue to alter Melancholy, bee it ſteeped in our ordinary drinke, extracted, or otherwise taken."
Proper Noun
- 1 Bee-nymph in Greek mythology. Greek
- 2 A female given name from Ancient Greek, popular in the latter half of the 20th century.
"And her owne handmayd, that Melissa hight / Appointed to attend her dewly day and night"
Example
More examples"Did I tell you what Melissa said?"
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Late Latin melissa, from Ancient Greek μέλισσα (mélissa, “bee”), because the plant attracts bees.
Etymology 2
From Ancient Greek μέλισσα (mélissa, “bee, honey, or honeybee”). In Ireland it is sometimes used as a feminine form of the Gaelic male name Maol Íosa (literally “servant of Jesus”).
Related phrases
More for "melissa"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.