Phlegmaticity
/ˌflɛɡ.məˈtɪs.ə.ti/noun
The quality of being calm, unemotional, and slow to react.
Did you know?The root behind phlegmaticity comes from Greek medical theory, where phlegm was one of the four bodily humors believed to shape personality and behavior.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phlégma (φλέγμα)
“burning heat; later, bodily phlegm or mucus”
Late Latin
Latin
phlegma
“phlegm, mucus; also one of the bodily humors”
Old French
French
flegmatique
“phlegmatic, calm, sluggish”
14th–16th Century
English
phlegmatike / phlegmatic
“slow, calm, unemotional, governed by phlegm”
Modern English
English
phlegmaticity
“the state or quality of being phlegmatic”
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