Melissa

See also: Melisseus and Melisa
For other uses, see Melissa (disambiguation).
Melissa
Pronunciation/məˈlɪsə/
GenderFeminine
Origin
Language(s)Greek
MeaningHoney bee
Region of originGreece
Other names
Related namesMelita, Mel, Melina, Deborah (Hebrew), "Mia", Meliza, Missy

Melissa is a female name. The name comes from the Greek word μέλισσα (mélissa), "bee",[1] which in turn comes from μέλι (meli), "honey".[2][3] In Hittite, melit signifies "honey".[4]

Melissa is a common variant form, with others being Malissa, Melesa, Melessa, Meliza, Mellisa, Melosa, and Molissa.[5]

According to Greek mythology, perhaps reflecting Minoan culture, making her the daughter of a Cretan king Melisseus, whose -issos ending is Pre-Greek,[6] Melissa was a nymph who discovered and taught the use of honey and from whom bees were believed to have received their name.[7] She was one of the nymph nurses of Zeus, sister to Amaltheia, but rather than feeding the baby milk, Melissa, appropriately for her name, fed him honey. Or, alternatively, the bees brought honey straight to his mouth. Because of her, Melissa became the name of all the nymphs who cared for the patriarch god as a baby.[8] Melissa can also be spelled Mellissa, Mellisa, Melisa, Malissa, Malisa, Mallissa, Mallisa, Milisa, and Milissa.

  1. ^ μέλισσα, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus.
  2. ^ μέλι, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  3. ^ Lexicon of Greek Personal Names, Oxford
  4. ^ Ivanov, V. 1963 The Hittite Language (Moscow): melt is among the brief examples given in Common Anatolian Glossary Archived 2013-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Melisa – Name Meaning, What does Melisa mean?".
  6. ^ David Sacks, Oswyn Murray, 1995. A Dictionary of the Ancient Greek World s.v. "Names": "Narcissus...the pre-Greek ending of his name".
  7. ^ "Greek Myth Index".
  8. ^ "Nymphs". www.paleothea.com.