bilious
UK: ˈbɪliəs | US: ˈbɪliəs
adj. 1. relating to bile; affected by or suffering from excess bile.
adj. 2. irritable or bad-tempered (figurative extension of bile’s association with anger in medieval physiology).
adj. 3. having a sickly yellowish hue (literal or figurative).
bilious = bili<gall/bile> + ous<adjective suffix>
- bili: From Latin bilis (bile), referring to the digestive fluid produced by the liver. In ancient medicine, bile was linked to temperament (e.g., "choleric" anger).
- ous: A suffix forming adjectives, indicating "full of" or "having the quality of" (e.g., joyous, famous).
Etymology Origin:
The word traces back to the Latin bilis (bile), reflecting the humoral theory of medicine, where bodily fluids (humors) dictated health and mood. Excess bile was believed to cause irritability, hence the figurative sense of "bad-tempered." The spelling preserves the Latin root bili- directly, combined with the productive English suffix -ous.
The patient complained of bilious vomiting after the heavy meal.
His bilious outburst startled everyone at the meeting.
The painting’s bilious green tones evoked a sense of unease.
She avoided fatty foods to prevent bilious attacks.
The critic’s bilious review crushed the artist’s confidence.