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black bile. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
black bile, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
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black bile you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Calque of Latin ātra bīlis, itself a calque of Ancient Greek μελαγχολία (melankholía).
Noun
black bile (uncountable)
- (historical) One of the four humours of ancient and mediaeval physiology, that was believed to be secreted by the kidneys and spleen and to cause melancholy and sadness when present in excess.
- Synonym: melancholy
- Coordinate terms: yellow bile, phlegm, blood
2011, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of all Maladies, Fourth Estate, page 49:The problem with treating cancer surgically, Galen suggested, was that black bile was everywhere, as inevitable and pervasive as any fluid.
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