United States financier and philanthropist (1855-1937)
"The Mellon family legacy includes Andrew Mellon, who served as a prominent United States financier and philanthropist."
A poorly characterized cyclic cyanide; [(CN)₂NH]₃, C₆N₄ or similar.
"The chemist analyzed the unknown compound to determine if it was a mellon, a poorly characterized cyclic cyanide found in certain industrial byproducts."
"He reached into his pocket and pulled out a soft, sweet melon to share with everyone at dinner."
Usage: Mellon is an obsolete chemical term referring to specific cyclic cyanides and should not be used in modern scientific writing where precise nomenclature like melamine or dicyandiamide is required. Avoid using this word entirely as it lacks current standardization and may cause confusion with unrelated compounds.
A surname.
"The Mellon family has historically been prominent in American banking and philanthropy."
The word mellon is an arbitrary creation modeled after the suffix -one found in other words like balloon and cartoon. It was coined to sound similar rather than derived from any specific root or original meaning.