Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “choleric” come from?

Choleric comes from Middle English colerik, from Old French colerique, from Latin cholericus, from Ancient Greek χολερικός, originally meaning relating to bile or bilious temperament.

choleric (English): Having a temperament characterized by an excess...

Definitions

  1. Having a temperament characterized by an excess...

Ancestry of “choleric”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishcolerikHaving an extreme and dangerous quantity of...
2Old Frenchcoleriquebilious; relating to bile
3Latincholericus—
4Ancient Greekχολήgall, bile; gall bladder; bitterness, wrath,...
5Proto-Hellenickʰolā́gall, bile
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰolh₃-éh₂—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow

Words derived from “choleric”

  • uncholeric
  • cholerically
  • cholericly
  • cholericness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- →