Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913 Melville · IPA /mˈɛlvɪl/ 01 prop. n. Herman Melville, American novelist, author of Moby Dick; b. 1819, d. 1891. 1. Herman Melville, American novelist, author of Moby Dick; b. 1819, d. 1891. Syn. Herman Melville.