مالیخولیا

Persian

Alternative forms

• ماخولیا (māxūliyā / mâxuliyâ) (through Arabic)

Etymology

Misspelling of earlier مالنخولیا (mâlenxuliyâ), from Ancient Greek μελαγχολία.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /maː.liː.xuː.li.ˈjaː/

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mɑː.liː.xuː.li.jɑː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mɑː.liː.xuː.li.jɑː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [mɑː.liː.xuː.li.jɑː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [mɔː.lu.xu.li.jɔː]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [mɒː.liː.xuː.li.jɒː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [mɔ.li.χu.li.jɔ]

Readings
Classical reading?	mālīxūliyā
Dari reading?	mālīxūliyā
Iranian reading?	mâlixuliyâ
Tajik reading?	molixuliyo

Noun

مالیخولیا • (mālīxūliyā / mâlixuliyâ) (Tajik spelling молихулиё)

1. melancholy
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume II, verse 222:

     گفت لاحول این چه مالیخولیاست
     ای عجب آن خادم مشفق کجاست

     guft lāhawl īn či mālīxūliyā-st
     ay 'ajab ān xādim-i mušfiq kujā-st

     “Good gracious!” he exclaimed, “what melancholy is this?
     Oh, where is that kindly servant?”

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian مالیخولیا (mālīxūliyā), ultimately from Ancient Greek μελαγχολία (melankholía). Doublet of ماخُولِیَا (māxūliyā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /mɑː.liː.xuː.lɪ.jɑː/

Noun

مالِیخُولِیَا • (mālīxūliyā) m (Hindi spelling मालीख़ूलिया)

1. melancholy

   Synonym: سوداویہ (saudāviya)

Further reading

• “مالیخولیا”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.