Bilious
/ˈbɪliəs/noun
Relating to bile; also irritable, peevish, or nauseating.
Did you know?In ancient humoral medicine, excess bile was believed to make a person literally choleric and irritable, so a word for a bodily fluid became a word for a bad temper.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
gʷhel-
“to shine, to be yellow or greenish”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kholḗ
“bile, gall”
Latin
Latin
bīlis
“bile, gall; anger, bitterness”
Late Latin
Latin
biliōsus
“full of bile; peevish, irritable”
Middle English
English
bilious
“having to do with bile; sickening or morbidly peevish”
Modern English
English
bilious
“relating to bile; irritable or nauseated”
Explore more surprising origins