adjectivethird-declension two-termination adjective
mollis
mollis (neuter molle, comparative mollior, superlative mollissimus, adverb molliter)
Classical[ˈmɔl.lɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈmɔl.lis]
№ 356 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- two terminationsoft, delicate to the touch
Sed quid existis videre hominem mollibus vestitum ecce qui mollibus vestiuntur in domibus regum sunt.
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Matthaeus.11.8 - two terminationpliant, flexible, supple
Diligentior cura mollia panis fermentati colat aqua fervente.
Those who take the most care boil the soft part of leavened bread then strain off the water;77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 23.26 - two terminationmild, tender
Responsio mollis frangit iram sermo durus suscitat furorem.
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Proverbia.15.1 - two terminationtender, weak
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
quī digitīs cēdit, nōn dūrus; lāna mollis.mollis -e — in Mille Verba, Templum Graecum
tener, nōn dūrusmollis -e — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 2, 7, 9
soft
mollis -e — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 5, 26 and Seneca, ch. XX
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | mollis | mollis | molle |
| genitive | mollis | mollis | mollis |
| dative | mollī | mollī | mollī |
| accusative | mollem | mollem | molle |
| ablative | mollī | mollī | mollī |
| vocative | mollis | mollis | molle |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | mollēs | mollēs | mollia |
| genitive | mollium | mollium mollārum | mollium |
| dative | mollibus | mollibus | mollibus |
| accusative | mollīs mollēs | mollīs mollēs | mollia |
| ablative | mollibus | mollibus | mollibus |
| vocative | mollēs | mollēs | mollia |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- delicate ac molliter vivere
- to live a luxurious and effeminate life.
mollis, e, adj. Gr. μαλακός, ἀμαλός, μῶλυς; cf. βληχρός, perh. Lat. mulier (mollior),
I. easily movable, pliant, flexible, supple; soft, tender, delicate, gentle, mild, pleasant (class.; syn.: tener, facilis, flexibilis, lentus).
I. Lit.:
mollis juncus, Verg. E. 2, 72: comam mollis ... hyacinthi, id. G. 4, 137: aurum, flexible, id. A. 10, 818: tiliae, Ov. M. 10, 92: crura, Verg. G. 3, 76: colla, id. A. 11, 622: bracchia, Ov. A. A. 1, 595: cervix, id. F. 4, 185: commissurae, Cic. N. D. 2, 60: molle litus, of soft sand, Caes. B. G. 5, 9: harena, Ov. M. 2, 577: aqua, id. A. A. 1, 476: fraga, id. M. 13, 816: castaneae, Verg. E. 1, 82: mollissima vina ( = mitissima, lenissima), id. G. 1, 341; cf.: molli mero, Hor. C. 1, 7, 19; and: molle Calenum, Juv. 1, 69: alvus, relaxed, open bowels, Cels. 3, 12: cibus, mild, not sharp, id. 4, 4, 4: ovum, soft, id. 4, 4, 5: prata, Verg. G. 2, 384: gramen, Ov. F. 6, 328: humus, id. A. A. 3, 688: lana, id. F. 2, 742: torus, id. Am. 2, 4, 14: arcus, slack, unbent, unstrung, id. H. 4, 92: feretrum, made soft by a layer of leaves, Verg. A. 11, 64: mollissima cera, Cic. de Or. 3, 45, 177: mollia panis, the soft part of bread, the crumb, id. 13, 12, 26, § 82: molles genae, soft, delicate, Ov. H. 10, 44: capilli, id. P. 3, 3, 17: manus, id. Am. 1, 4, 24: latus, id. M. 14, 710: molles Zephyri, soft, gentle, id. A. A. 3, 728; so, hiems, Stat. S. 3, 5, 83: aestas, Verg. G. 1, 312: caelum, Flor. 1, 16, 3; 4, 12, 27: Euphrates mollior undis, gentler, calmer, Verg. A. 8, 726: aditus, easy, Sil. 4, 491; so, iter, Quint. 4, 2, 46: via, id. 1, 6, 22: fastigium, gentle, not steep, Caes. B. C. 2, 10: clivus, Verg. E. 9, 8: modicis et mollibus clivis, Curt. 8, 39, 6: jugum montis, Tac. G. 1: trames, Ov. F. 3, 13.—Prov.: molli bracchio objurgare aliquem, with a gentle arm, i. e. in a forbearing manner, Cic. Att. 2, 1, 6: in molli carne vermes nascuntur, it is the soft flesh that breeds the worms, Petr. 57.— Subst.: mollia, ĭum, n., a kind of fishes, mollusks, Plin. 11, 51, 112, § 267.—II. Trop.
A. Tender, delicate, susceptible:
mollibus annis, in tender youth, Ov. H. 1, 111: os molle, easily blushing, id. Tr. 4, 3, 70: mollissima corda, Juv. 15, 131: mollissimae aures, modest, Plin. Pan. 68.—2. In a bad sense, soft, effeminate, unmanly, weak (syn. effeminatus):
philosophus tam mollis, tam languidus, tam enervatus, Cic. de Or. 1, 52, 226: Sabaei, Verg. G. 1, 57: viri molles, i. e. pathici, Liv. 33, 28; Sen. Ep. 87: disciplina, effeminate, Cic. Fin. 1, 11, 37: delicatior ... molliorque ratio, id. ib. 5, 5, 12: vita, Ov. Tr. 5, 3, 9: desine mollium querellarum, Hor. C. 2, 9, 17: mollis teneraque vox, Quint. 11, 3, 23: educatio, id. 1, 2, 6: actio, id. 11, 3, 128: Gallorum mens est mollis ac minime resistens ad calamitates perferendas, Caes. B. G. 3, 19: sententiae, Cic. Cat. 1, 12, 30: si taedio laboris longaeque viae, ut est mollis ad talia gens (Gallorum), dilaberentur, Liv. 22, 2, 4: Romanos molliores facere ad paciscendum, id. 42, 62, 6; cf.: sunt qui in rebus contrariis parum sibi constent, voluptatem severissime contemnant, in dolore sint molliores, etc., Cic. Off. 1, 21, 71: molles in aure fenestrae, Juv. 1, 104.—B. Soft, pleasant, mild, easy:
orationem mollem teneramque reddidit, soft, pleasant, Cic. Brut. 9, 38: mollis et jucunda senectus, id. Sen. 1, 2: ita eum placidum mollemque reddidi, ut, etc., calm and gentle, id. Caecil. 10, 28: verba, Hor. Epod. 5, 83: mollia jussa, mild, easy, Verg. G. 3, 41: vincuntur molli pectora dura prece, soft, tender, touching, Tib. 3, 4, 76: sic accensum sed molliora referre jussum dimittit, to return a gentler answer, Tac. H. 4, 32 fin.: saepius molliora respondens, id. A. 12, 46: mollis versus, an elegiac or amatory poem, Ov. Tr. 2, 307; Prop. 1, 7, 19 (opp. durus versus, a heroic poem, id. 2, 1, 41): ridere mollia, to smile gently, Ov. A. A. 3, 513: cuncta tamen ad imperatorem in mollius relata, in a milder, more favorable light, Tac. A. 14, 39: pilenta, having a gentle motion, Verg. A. 8, 666; id. G. 2, 389: mollissima fandi tempora, id. A. 4, 293: hora mollior, more favorable, Ov. P. 3, 3, 84: signa, Cic. Brut. 18, 70: duriora Callon, jam minus rigida Calamis, molliora adhuc supra dictis Myron fecit, more agreeable, Quint. 12, 10, 7: mollis animus et ad accipiendam et ad deponendam offensionem, Cic. Att. 1, 17, 2: in inimicitiis auricula infima mollior, id. Q. Fr. 2, 13 (15), 4.—Subst.: molle, is, n., softness, smoothness: molle atque facetum Vergilio adnuerunt Camenae, Hor. S. 1, 10, 45.—C. Weak, untrustworthy:
nihil est tam molle, tam tenerum, tam aut fragile aut flexibile quam voluntas erga nos civium, Cic. Mil. 16, 42.—Hence, adv.: mollĭter. 1. Lit., softly, gently, agreeably (class.):
molliter sustine me, Plaut. Ps. 5, 2, 7: aves nidos mollissime substernunt, Cic. N. D. 2, 52, 129: recubans, id. de Or. 3, 17, 63: ossa cubent, Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 76: excudent alii spirantia mollius aera, more easily, agreeably, Verg. A. 6, 847: cura molliter semina conlocandi, Plin. 15, 10, 9, § 35: colles ad orientem molliter devexi, gently, gradually, Col. 1, 2, 3 sq.—2. Trop.:
quod ferendum est molliter sapienti, calmly, patiently, Cic. Sen. 2, 5: abnuere, Liv. 30, 3: delicate et molliter vivere, voluptuously, Cic. Off. 1, 30, 106: aegritudinem pati, sensitively, weakly, Sall. J. 82, 2: ne quid per metum, mollius consuleretur, too compliantly, Liv. 30, 7, 3: interpretari mollius aliquid, rather mildly, favorably, Tac. H. 2, 96.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
mollis e, adj. with comp. and sup.
MAL-, yielding, pliant, flexible, supple, soft, tender, delicate, gentle, mild, pleasant : iuncus, V.: comae, V.: aurum, flexible , V.: tiliae, O.: flumen, Ct.: cervix, O.: commissurae: in litore molli, of soft sand , Cs.: harena, O.: castaneae, V.: mollissima vina, V.: lana, O.: arcus, unstrung , O.: feretrum, made soft by a layer of leaves , V.: mollissima cera: genae, delicate , O.: manus, O.: Zephyri, gentle , O.: Euphrates mollior undis, calmer , V.: litus, accessible , Cs.: fastigium, gentle , Cs.: clivus, V.: iugum montis, Ta.—Prov.: me molli bracchio obiurgare, i. e. with forbearance .—Fig., tender, delicate, susceptible : mollibus annis, in tender youth , O.: os, easily blushing , O.: mollissima corda, Iu.— Soft, effeminate, unmanly, weak : philosophus: Sabaei, V.: Tarentum, H.: disciplina: vita, O.: querellae, H.: mens, Cs.: sententiae: Romanos molliores facere ad paciscendum, L.: in dolore molliores: viri, given to lust , L.—Plur m . as subst: vos pellite molles, the effeminate , O.— Soft, pleasant, mild, easy, gentle : lex mollior: oratio: verba, H.: iussa, easy , V.: versus, amatory , O.: ridere mollia, smile gently , O.: pilenta, having a gentle motion , V.: mollissima fandi Tempora, most favorable , V.: hora mollior, more favorable , O.: alqd quam mollissimā viā consequi, with the utmost forbearance , L.—As subst n., softness, smoothness : molle atque facetum Vergilio adnuerunt Camenae, H.— Weak, untrustworthy : consul, L.: voluntas erga nos civium.
Origins
From earlier *molvis, from *mollvis, from *molduis, itself from Proto-Italic *moldus, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus (“soft, weak”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld- (“to soften, melt”). According to De Vaan, the term was likely remade from a u-stem to an i-stem. However, De Vaan suggests that the original u-stem is present in terms such as Latin molluscus, which he explains as a derivation from *moldusko-, from *mldu-sko-. Cognates include Latin mola, blandus, mortārium, Old Prussian maldai (“boys”), Welsh blydd (“soft”), Old Church Slavonic младъ (mladŭ, “young”), Sanskrit मृदु (mṛdú, “soft, mild, weak”), Old Armenian մեղկ (mełk, “soft, weak”), Ancient Greek βλαδύς (bladús, “weak”) and ἀμαλδύνω (amaldúnō, “to weaken, destroy”). More at mild. An alternative hypothesis derives it from the Proto-Indo-European root *melh₂- (“to grind, crush, pulverize, mill”) via *mol-n-is; more at malleus.
Gallo-Romance
- Catalanmoll
- Occitanmòl
- Frenchmoufrom Old French mol
- Englishmullfrom Old French mol
- Middle Scotsmollfrom Old French mol
Insular Romance
- Sardinianmodde
- Sardinianmoddi
- Sardinianmoddu
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesemolefrom Old Galician-Portuguese mole
- Spanishmuelle
- Asturianmuelle
- Asturianmuellu
- Leonesemuellu
- Galicianmolfrom Old Galician-Portuguese mole
- Galicianmolefrom Old Galician-Portuguese mole
Balkan Romance
- Romanianmoale
- Aromanianmoali
- Aromanianmoli
- Istro-Romanianmole
Italo-Romance
- Italianmolle
- Neapolitanmuollo
- Sicilianmoḍḍu
Borrowings
- GermanMoll
- Bulgarianмолfrom German Moll
- Norwegian Bokmålmollfrom German Moll
- Icelandicmoll
North Italian
- Friulianmol
- Venetanmol
- Venetanmolo
- Venetanmoło
Elsewhere
- Vulgar Latin*molliāre
In English words that came into English from mollis
- mullmollis
- mulleinmollis
- mollifymollificō
- molluscMollusca
- moil*molliō
- emollientemolliēns
- mojito*molliō
- molassemollis
- mollisolmollis
- muller*molliāre
- emollescencee
- mollientmolliens
- molletonmollis
- mollitudemollitūdō
- mollmollis
- mollitiousmollities
- mollipilosemollis