phlegmatic

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Archived revision by MaksTurchyn (talk | contribs) as of 12:06, 3 January 2020.
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

WOTD – 17 July 2007

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French fleumatique, from Latin phlegmaticus, from Ancient Greek φλεγματικός (phlegmatikós), from φλέγμα (phlégma).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /flɛɡˈmætɪk/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ætɪk

Adjective

phlegmatic (comparative more phlegmatic, superlative most phlegmatic)

  1. Not easily excited to action or passion; calm; sluggish.
    • 1873, Jules Verne, chapter 2, in Around the World in 80 Days‎[1]:
      Calm and phlegmatic, with a clear eye, Mr. Fogg seemed a perfect type of that English composure which Angelica Kauffmann has so skilfully represented on canvas.
    • 2013, A.O. Scott, “How It Looks to Think: Watch Her,” Rev. of Hannah Arendt, dir. by Margarethe von Trotta, New York Times 29 May 2013: C1. Print.
      Their friendship (immortalized in a splendid volume of letters that has clearly served as one of Ms. von Trotta's sources) is a fascinating study in cultural and temperamental contrast, an impulsive and witty American paired with a steady, phlegmatic German.
  2. (archaic) Abounding in phlegm.
    phlegmatic humors
    a phlegmatic constitution
  3. Generating, causing, or full of phlegm.
    • (Can we date this quote by Sir Thomas Browne and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      cold and phlegmatic habitations
  4. Watery (clarification of this definition is needed).

Synonyms

Coordinate terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Noun

phlegmatic (plural phlegmatics)

  1. One who has a phlegmatic disposition.

Translations

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=phlegmatic&oldid=58289305"