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atra bilis. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
atra bilis, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
atra bilis in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
atra bilis you have here. The definition of the word
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Latin
Etymology
Calque of Ancient Greek μελαγχολία (melankholía, “atrabiliousness”), from μέλας (mélas, “black, dark, murky”) and χολή (kholḗ, “bile”). According to early physiology, the excess of black bile in the human body resulted in sadness.
Pronunciation
Noun
ātra bīlis f (genitive ātrae bīlis); third declension
- black bile
- Synonym: nigra bīlis
Bilem atram generantes, quos μελαγχολικοὺς vocant.- (please add an English translation of this usage example)
Delirat uxor. - Ātrā bīlī percita est.- My wife is deranged! - It's caused by the black bile.
Atra bilis agitat hominem.- Melancholy makes men mad.
- (transferred sense) melancholy, sadness, dejection
Declension
First-declension adjective with a third-declension noun (i-stem), singular only.
Descendants