mollis

See also: Mollis

French

Verb

mollis

1. inflection of mollir:
   1. first/second-person singular present indicative
   2. first/second-person singular past historic
   3. second-person singular imperative

Participle

mollis m pl

1. masculine plural of molli

Latin

Etymology

From earlier *molduis, from Proto-Italic *moldus, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus (“soft, weak”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld- (“to soften, melt”).^[1]

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.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmol.lis/, [ˈmɔlːʲɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmol.lis/, [ˈmɔlːis]

Adjective

mollis (neuter molle, comparative mollior, superlative mollissimus, adverb molliter); third-declension two-termination adjective

1. 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.

2. 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;

3. 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.

4. 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.

	singular			plural
	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

• (antonym(s) of “soft”): dūrus
• (antonym(s) of “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

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: moali, moli
  • Istro-Romanian: mole
  • Romanian: moale
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: molle
  • Neapolitan: muollo
  • Sicilian: moddu
• North Italian:
  • Friulian: mol
  • Icelandic: moll
  • Venetan: mol, molo, moło
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: moll
  • Occitan: mòl
  • Old French: mol
    • Middle French: mol
      • French: mou
      • → Middle English: moll
        • English: mull
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: mole
    • Galician: mol
    • Portuguese: mole
  • Spanish: muelle
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: modde, moddi, moddu
• Vulgar Latin: *molliāre (see there for further descendants)
• Borrowings:
  • → German: Moll
    • → Norwegian Bokmål: moll

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.

1. De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “mollis”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 386

Spanish

Noun

mollis

1. plural of molli