melissa

plural melissas

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.

   1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Alternatiues, Hearbes, Other Creatures, &c.”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 2, section 4, member 1, subsection 3, page 300

   Synonyms: dropsywort, honey plant

1. Greekhuman sciencesBee-nymph in Greek mythology.
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

   1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC

   3 more examples

   Miss Melissa Wackles was the eldest daughter, Miss Sophy the next, and Miss Jane the youngest.

   1840 April – 1841 November, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the chapter number or name)”, in The Old Curiosity Shop. A Tale. […], London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1841, →OCLC

   - - - by Mrs. Melissa Blaydon and Miss Ianthe Ambrose. "Well, they may be sisters," said Nigel. "Those elegant, classical Christian names suggest one father.

   1959, Nicholas Blake, The Widow's Cruise, page 9

   The first line of dialogue is from an off-screen Field Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), asking the team to stay in sight and “make NASA proud”.

   2016 August 31, “GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Mark Watney”, in Industrial Scripts