bilious

WOTD – 27 March 2010    

English

"Rhynocoris iracundus", a bilious beetle, with rostrum ready to sting.

Etymology

From French bilieux, from Latin bīliōsus (“full of bile”), from bīlis (“bile”) + -ōsus (“full of”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈbɪl.i.əs/
• (US) IPA: /ˈbɪl.jəs/, /ˈbɪl.i.əs/

Adjective

bilious (comparative more bilious, superlative most bilious)

1. Suffering from real or supposed liver disorder, thus making one ill-natured.
2. Of or pertaining to something containing or consisting of bile.
3. Irritable or bad tempered; irascible.

   The students had learned not to ask questions of the bilious professor.

Related terms

• atrabilious (full of black bile)
• bile

Translations

suffering from real or supposed liver disorder

• Finnish: sappitautinen (fi)
• French: bilieux (fr), insuffisant hépatique (fr)

• Italian: bilioso (it)
• Spanish: bilioso (es)

of or pertaining to bile

• Armenian: մաղձային (hy) (maġjayin)
• Finnish: sapekas (fi), sappipitoinen (fi)
• French: bilieux (fr) m, bilieuse (fr) f, biliaire (fr)

• Russian: желчный (ru) (želčnyj)
• Spanish: biliar (es), biliario (es)

irritable, irascible

• Armenian: դյուրագրգիռ (hy) (dyuragrgiṙ), մաղձոտ (hy) (maġjot)
• Finnish: sapekas (fi)
• French: atrabilaire (fr), bileux (fr), colérique (fr), coléreux (fr)

• Russian: желчный (ru) (želčnyj), раздражительный (ru) (razdražitelʹnyj)
• Spanish: atrabiliario (es), atrabilioso (es), intranquillo (es), colérico (es), iracundo (es)