melancholy
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Ancient Greek μελαγχολία (melancholia, “atrabiliousness”), from μέλας (melas), μελαν- (melan-, “black, dark, murky”) + χολή (chole, “bile”). Compare the Latin ātra bīlis (“black bile”).
Pronunciation [edit]
Adjective [edit]
melancholy (comparative more melancholy, superlative most melancholy)
- Affected with great sadness or depression.
Synonyms [edit]
- (thoughtful sadness): wistful
- See also Wikisaurus:sad
Translations [edit]
Affected with sadness or depression
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Noun [edit]
melancholy (plural melancholies)
- (historical) Black bile, formerly thought to be one of the four "cardinal humours" of animal bodies.
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Book I, New York 2001, p. 148:
- Melancholy, cold and dry, thick, black, and sour, [...] is a bridle to the other two hot humours, blood and choler, preserving them in the blood, and nourishing the bones.
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Book I, New York 2001, p. 148:
- Great sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
Translations [edit]
Sadness or depression
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