barythymia

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English

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Etymology

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From bary- +‎ -thymia. From Ancient Greek βαρύς (barús, heavy) + θυμός (thumós, soul, spirit).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌbæɹɪˈθaɪmɪə/

Noun

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barythymia (uncountable)

  1. (medicine, archaic, rare) A depressed state of mind.
    • 1810, John Jackson, Barythymia (poem): referenced in Halkett, Dictionary of Anonymous and Pseudonymous English Literature
    • 2004, Julius Preuss, Biblical and Talmudic Medicine[1]:
      Are we here speaking of the above-mentioned kardioponos? Naturally, this ailment could also refer to barythymia (depression or melancholy).
    • 2012, George Gurley, George & Hilly: The Anatomy of a Relationship, page 87:
      Neurotic, obsessive-compulsive, infantile-arrested, stuporous melancholia, hebephrenic schizophrenia, barythymia, poikilothymia. I'd settle for anything as long as it was concrete.

Usage notes

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This word is found far more often in medical dictionaries than in actual use, and melancholy or depression are generally better alternatives.

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