adj
atrabilious
Atrabilious (adj) means containing too much black bile, according to old medical belief.
adj
1
Containing too much black bile, according to old medical belief.
2
Marked by a deep, gloomy sadness.
3
Bad-tempered and quick to find fault with others.
"Fen was in an atrabilious mood. "You've been the devil of a time," he grumbled as Lily Christine III got under way again."
— Edumnd Crispin, The Moving Toyshop: A Detective Story (1946)
"Yet at the same time he detected much of this same cheerfulness throughout the ship and something not very far from apparent unconcern, even in so atrabilious a soul as Killick."
— Patrick O'Brian, The Wine-Dark Sea (1993)
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Etymology
From Latin ātra bīlis (“black bile”) (āter (“dark, black”) + bīlis (“bile”)) + -ous (“full of”), referring to the humour which ancient Hippocratic and later Galenic medicine associated with sadness and despondency.
Related words
Rhymes for atrabilious
See all rhymes for atrabilious →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of atrabilious?
"atrabilious" (adj) means containing too much black bile, according to old medical belief.
What is another word for atrabilious?
Other words for "atrabilious" include dyspeptic, liverish, bilious.
What is the opposite of atrabilious?
Opposites of "atrabilious" include bright, jovial, happy.
What are the different meanings of atrabilious?
"atrabilious" has 3 main meanings: 1. Containing too much black bile, according to old medical belief; 2. Marked by a deep, gloomy sadness; 3. Bad-tempered and quick to find fault with others.
