splenetic

English

Alternative forms

• splenetick (obsolete)

Etymology

The adjective form of spleen, borrowed from Late Latin spleneticus, from Latin splen. Anger was traditionally believed to originate from the fluids of the spleen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spləˈnɛtɪk/

  Rhymes: -ɛtɪk

Adjective

splenetic (comparative more splenetic, superlative most splenetic)

1. Bad-tempered, irritable, peevish, spiteful, habitually angry.
   • 1678, Samuel Butler, Hudibras

     A sect, whose chief devotion lies / In odd perverse antipathies; / ... / More peevish, cross, and splenetick, / Than dog distract, or monkey sick.

   • 1876, George Eliot, Daniel Deronda

     In fact, Gwendolen, not intending it, but intending the contrary, had offended her hostess, who, though not a splenetic or vindictive woman, had her susceptibilities.

2. (biology) Related to the spleen.
   • 1879, Sir Samuel White Baker, Cyprus, as I Saw it in 1879

     I have already described the general protuberance of the abdomen among the children throughout the Messaria and the Carpas districts, all of whom are more or less affected by splenetic diseases.

Derived terms

• splenetically (adv)
• splenetical

Related terms

• lienal
• spleenful
• spleeny
• splenic
• splenitive

Translations

bad-tempered

• French: splénétique (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: irritable (es)

related to the spleen

• Esperanto: liena
• French: splénique (fr)
• German: splenisch, Milz-
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: esplénico (es)
• Volapük: splenik

Noun

splenetic (plural splenetics)

1. (archaic) A person affected with spleen.