- atrabilious
- adjective Etymology: Latin atra bilis black bile Date: 1651 1. given to or marked by melancholy ; gloomy 2. ill-natured, peevish • atrabiliousness noun
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
atrabilious
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Atrabilious — At ra*bil ious, a. Melancholic or hypochondriac; atrabiliary. Dunglision. [1913 Webster] A hard faced, atrabilious, earnest eyed race. Lowell. [1913 Webster] He was constitutionally atrabilious and scornful. Froude. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
atrabilious — index deplorable, disconsolate Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
atrabilious — 1650s, from L. atra bilis, translating Gk. melankholia black bile (see MELANCHOLY (Cf. melancholy); also Cf. BILE (Cf. bile)). Atra is fem. of ater black, dark, gloomy, perhaps related to root of ATROCITY (Cf. atrocity). Related … Etymology dictionary
atrabilious — hypochondriac, *melancholic, melancholy Analogous words: morose, glum, saturnine, crabbed, *sullen: *despondent , hopeless, forlorn: depressed, dejected, gloomy (see corresponding nouns at SADNESS) Antonyms: blithe Contrasted words: * … New Dictionary of Synonyms
atrabilious — [a΄trə bil′ē əra΄trə bil′ē əs, a΄′trəbil′yəs] adj. [< L atra bilis, black bile; sp. after BILIOUS: cf. MELANCHOLY] melancholy, morose, cross, etc.: also atrabiliar [a΄trə bil′ē ər] … English World dictionary
atrabilious — adjective a) characterized by melancholy Do we listen to pop music because of atrabiliousness, or are we atrabilious because we listen to pop music? (High Fidelity magazine paraphrase) b) ill natured; malevolent … Wiktionary
atrabilious bilious dyspeptic liverish — Ill natured Ill na tured, a. 1. Of habitual bad temper; having an unpleasant disposition; surly; disagreeable; cross; peevish; fractious; crabbed; of people; as, an ill natured person; an ill natured disagreeable old man. Opposite of {good… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
atrabilious — atrabiliousness, n. /a treuh bil yeuhs/, adj. 1. gloomy; morose; melancholy; morbid. 2. irritable; bad tempered; splenetic. Also, atrabiliar. [1645 55; < L atra bili(s) black bile + OUS] * * * … Universalium
atrabilious — adj. tending to be depressed, having a bad temper, quarrelsome … English contemporary dictionary
atrabilious — [ˌatrə bɪlɪəs] adjective literary melancholy or ill tempered. Derivatives atrabiliousness noun Origin C17: from L. atra bilis black bile , translation of Gk melankholia melancholy , + ious … English new terms dictionary
