Where does “melancholy” come from?
Melancholy derives from Middle English malencolie, from Old French melancolie, from Ancient Greek μελαγχολία, combining μέλας (black) and χολή (bile).
melancholy (English): Black bile, formerly thought to be one of the...
Definitions
- Black bile, formerly thought to be one of the...
Ancestry of “melancholy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | malencolie | Black bile as one of the four cardinal humours... |
| 2 | Old French | melancolie | melancholy; melancholy; black bile |
| 3 | Late Latin | melancholia | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μελαγχολία | melancholy, atrabiliousness |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μελάγχολος | dipped in black bile |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | χόλος | gall, bile |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | χολή | gall, bile; gall bladder; bitterness, wrath,... |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | kʰolā́ | gall, bile |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰolh₃-éh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰelh₃- | to flourish; green, yellow |