barythymia

English

Etymology

From bary- +‎ -thymia. From Ancient Greek βαρύς (barús, “heavy”) + θυμός (thumós, “soul, spirit”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbæɹɪˈθaɪmɪə/

Noun

barythymia (uncountable)

1. (medicine, archaic, rare) A depressed state of mind.
   • 1810, John Jackson, Barythymia (poem): referenced in Halkett, Dictionary of Anonymous and Pseudonymous English Literature
   • 2004, Julius Preuss, Biblical and Talmudic Medicine‎^[1]:

     Are we here speaking of the above-mentioned kardioponos? Naturally, this ailment could also refer to barythymia (depression or melancholy).

   • 2012, George Gurley, George & Hilly: The Anatomy of a Relationship, page 87:

     Neurotic, obsessive-compulsive, infantile-arrested, stuporous melancholia, hebephrenic schizophrenia, barythymia, poikilothymia. I'd settle for anything as long as it was concrete.

Usage notes

This word is found far more often in medical dictionaries than in actual use, and melancholy or depression are generally better alternatives.

Related terms

• athymia
• dysthymia