atra bilis
Latin edit
Etymology edit
Calque of Ancient Greek μελαγχολία (melankholía, “atrabiliousness”), from μέλας (mélas, “black, dark, murky”) and χολή (kholḗ, “bile”). According to early physiology, the excess of black bile in the human body resulted in sadness.
Pronunciation edit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈaː.tra ˈbiː.lis/, [ˈäːt̪rä ˈbiːlʲɪs̠]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈa.tra ˈbi.lis/, [ˈäːt̪rä ˈbiːlis]
Noun edit
ātra bīlis f (genitive ātrae bīlis); third declension
- black bile
- Synonym: nigra bīlis
- Bilem atram generantes, quos μελαγχολικοὺς vocant.
- (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- Delirat uxor. - Ātrā bīlī percita est.
- My wife is deranged! - It's caused by the black bile.
- Atra bilis agitat hominem.
- Melancholy makes men mad.
- (transferred sense) melancholy, sadness, dejection
Declension edit
First-declension adjective with a third-declension noun (i-stem), singular only.
| Case | Singular |
|---|---|
| Nominative | ātra bīlis |
| Genitive | ātrae bīlis |
| Dative | ātrae bīlī |
| Accusative | ātram bīlem |
| Ablative | ātrā bīle |
| Vocative | ātra bīlis |
Descendants edit
- → French: atrabile (learned)