a. [ Compar. Mellower superl. Mellowest. ] [ OE. melwe; cf. AS. mearu soft, D. murw, Prov. G. mollig soft, D. malsch, and E. meal flour. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Soft or tender by reason of ripeness; having a tender pulp; as, a mellow apple. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: (a) Easily worked or penetrated; not hard or rigid; as, a mellow soil. “Mellow glebe.” Drayton (b) Not coarse, rough, or harsh; subdued; soft; rich; delicate; -- said of sound, color, flavor, style, etc. “The mellow horn.” Wordsworth. “The mellow-tasted Burgundy.” Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

The tender flush whose mellow stain imbues
Heaven with all freaks of light. Percival. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Well matured; softened by years; genial; jovial. [ 1913 Webster ]

May health return to mellow age. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

As merry and mellow an old bachelor as ever followed a hound. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Warmed by liquor; slightly intoxicated. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Mellowed p. pr. & vb. n. Mellowing. ] To make mellow. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

If the Weather prove frosty to mellow it [ the ground ], they do not plow it again till April. Mortimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

The fervor of early feeling is tempered and mellowed by the ripeness of age. J. C. Shairp. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To become mellow; as, ripe fruit soon mellows. “Prosperity begins to mellow.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. having a mild and pleasing flavor through proper aging.
Syn. -- mellow. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. having attained to kindliness or gentleness through age and experience; -- of people.
Syn. -- gentle, mellow. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. pr. p. of mellow. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The act or process of acquiring desirable qualities by being left undisturbed for some time.
Syn. -- ripening, aging, ageing. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In a mellow manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Quality or state of being mellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Soft; unctuous. Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]