mollis
French
Verb
mollis
- inflection of mollir:
- first/second-person singular present indicative
- first/second-person singular past historic
- second-person singular imperative
Participle
mollis m pl
- masculine plural of the past participle of mollir
Latin
Etymology
From earlier *molduis, from Proto-Italic *molduis, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus (“soft, weak”), from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“soft, weak, tender”). Cognates include Latin mola, blandus, mortārium, Old Prussian maldai (“boys”), 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.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈmol.lis/, [ˈmɔlːʲɪs̠]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈmol.lis/, [ˈmɔlːis]
Audio (Classical) (file)
Adjective
mollis (neuter molle, comparative mollior, superlative mollissimus, adverb molliter); third-declension two-termination adjective
- soft, delicate to the touch
- 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Matthaeus 11:8:
- 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.
- Sed quid existis videre hominem mollibus vestitum ecce qui mollibus vestiuntur in domibus regum sunt.
- pliant, flexible, supple
- c. 77 CE – 79 CE, Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 23.26:
- 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;
- Diligentior cura mollia panis fermentati colat aqua fervente.
- mild, tender
- Synonyms: placidus, mītis, clēmēns, lēnis
- 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Proverbia 15:1:
- Responsio mollis frangit iram sermo durus suscitat furorem.
- A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
- Responsio mollis frangit iram sermo durus suscitat furorem.
- tender, weak
- Synonyms: dēbilis, languidus, fractus, tenuis, fessus, aeger, īnfirmus, inops, obnoxius
- Antonyms: praevalēns, fortis, potis, potēns, validus, strēnuus, compos
Declension
Third-declension two-termination adjective.
Number | Singular | Plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case / Gender | Masc./Fem. | Neuter | Masc./Fem. | Neuter | |
Nominative | mollis | molle | mollēs | mollia | |
Genitive | mollis | mollium | |||
Dative | mollī | mollibus | |||
Accusative | mollem | molle | mollēs mollīs | mollia | |
Ablative | mollī | mollibus | |||
Vocative | mollis | molle | mollēs | mollia |
Synonyms
- (soft): molluscus, tener
- (pliant): facilis, flexibilis, lentus
- (tender): tener
Antonyms
- (soft): dūrus
- (pliant): rigidus
Derived terms
- ēmolliō
- molle
- mollēscō
- mollicellus
- mollicīna
- mollicomus
- molliculus
- mollificō
- mollificus
- mollīmentum
- molliō
- mollipēs
- molliter
- mollitia
- mollitōrius
- mollitūdō
- mollītus
- mollusca
- molluscum
- molluscus
- *molliō
Descendants
- Friulian: mol
- German: Moll
- → Norwegian Bokmål: moll
- Icelandic: moll
- Italian: molle
- Old Occitan:
- Catalan: moll
- Occitan: mòl
- Old French: mol
- Middle French: mol
- French: mou
- → Middle English: moll
- English: mull
- Middle French: mol
- Old Portuguese: mole
- Galician: mol
- Portuguese: mole
- Common Romanian:
- Aromanian: moali, moli
- Istro-Romanian: mole
- Romanian: moale
- Sardinian: modde, moddi, moddu, modhe
- Sicilian: moḍḍu
- Spanish: muelle
- Venetian: mol, molo, moło
References
- “mollis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “mollis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- mollis in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
- mollis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
Spanish
Noun
mollis
- plural of molli