Livor
/ˈliː.vɔːr/noun
A dark bruise or livid discoloration of the skin; also figuratively, envy or spite.
Did you know?In Latin, *livor* could mean both a bruise-like dark discoloration and bitter envy, which is why English inherited *livid* with that eerie “blue-black” emotional charge.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leip-
“to stick, adhere; to smear with fat or grease”
Latin
Latin
līvor
“a bluish bruise, livid discoloration; envy, spite”
Late Latin
Latin
lividus
“bluish, lead-colored, bruised”
Old French
Old French
livide
“livid, lead-colored, bruised”
Middle English
English
livid
“of a dark bluish or grayish color; enraged”
Modern English
English
livid
“extremely angry; dark bluish-gray in color”