atra bilis

Latin

Etymology

Calque of Ancient Greek μελαγχολία (melankholía, “atrabiliousness”), from μέλας (mélas, “black, dark, murky”) and χολή (kholḗ, “bile”). According to early physiology, the excess of black bile in the human body resulted in sadness.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.tra ˈbiː.lɪs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.tra ˈbiː.lis]

Noun

ātra bīlis f (genitive ātrae bīlis); third declension

1. black bile

   Synonym: nigra bīlis

   Bilem atram generantes, quos μελαγχολικοὺς vocant.

   Generating a black bile which they call μελαγχολία [melancholía].

   Delirat uxor. - Ātrā bīlī percita est.

   My wife is deranged! - It's caused by the black bile.

   Atra bilis agitat hominem.

   Melancholy makes men mad.

2. (transferred sense) melancholy, sadness, dejection

Declension

First-declension adjective with a third-declension noun (i-stem), singular only.

	singular
nominative	ātra bīlis
genitive	ātrae bīlis
dative	ātrae bīlī
accusative	ātram bīlem
ablative	ātrā bīle
vocative	ātra bīlis

Descendants

• → French: atrabile (learned)