Melena
/məˈliː.nə/noun
A condition in which digested blood causes black, tarry stools, usually from bleeding in the upper digestive tract.
Did you know?Melena shares its Greek root with melancholy, because ancient physicians associated both darkness and disease with “black bile,” one of the four bodily humors.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*melh₂-
“Dark or black; the reconstructed Indo-European root behind Greek melas.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέλαινα (melaina)
“Black; the feminine form of melas, used in medical descriptions.”
Late Greek
Greek
μέλαινα (melaina)
“Black discharge or black bodily matter in medical usage.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
melaena
“A black condition or black stool, adopted as a medical term.”
19th Century
English
melena
“Black, tarry feces caused by digested blood, especially from upper gastrointestinal bleeding.”
Modern English
English
melena
“The clinical term for black, tarry stool resulting from gastrointestinal bleeding.”
Explore more surprising origins