bile

American  

[bahyl] / baɪl /

noun

biles plural

1. Physiology. a bitter, alkaline, yellow or greenish liquid, secreted by the liver, that aids in absorption and digestion, especially of fats.

2. ill temper; peevishness.

3. Old Physiology. either of two humors associated with anger and gloominess.

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bile ¹ British  

/ baɪl /

noun

1. a bitter greenish to golden brown alkaline fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. It is discharged during digestion into the duodenum, where it aids the emulsification and absorption of fats

2. irritability or peevishness

3. archaic either of two bodily humours, one of which ( black bile ) was thought to cause melancholy and the other ( yellow bile ) anger

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bile ² British  

/ bəɪl /

verb

1. a Scot word for boil 1

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bile Scientific  

/ bīl /

1. A bitter, alkaline, brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow fluid that is secreted by the liver, concentrated and stored in the gallbladder, and discharged into the duodenum of the small intestine. It helps in the digestion of fats and the neutralization of acids, such as the hydrochloric acid secreted by the stomach. Bile consists of salts, acids, cholesterol, lipids, pigments, and water.

2. ◆ Bile salts help in the emulsification, digestion, and absorption of fats.

3. ◆ Bile pigments are waste products formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin from old red blood cells.

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bile Cultural  

1. A bitter fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bile is discharged into the small intestine when needed to aid in the digestion of fats (see digestive system).

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Discover More

Bile is sometimes used figuratively to denote bitterness in general: “His writing was full of bile.”

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• biles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bile

First recorded in 1655–65; from French, from Latin bīlis; of disputed origin; compare Breton bestl, Medieval Cornish bystel, Welsh bustl

Explanation

In medicine, bile is a fluid secreted by the liver and used to help breakdown fats. Because it used to be associated with anger, feeling your bile rise is the same as feeling mounting anger. How did bile get linked to anger? Pre-modern doctors believed there were four basic substances to the human body, called humours, one of which was yellow bile that controlled anger. It doesn't, but when you feel angry, you'll still hear that you have to swallow your bile.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bile biles

If the findings translate to humans, they could open the door to new therapies that target bile acid signaling or use beneficial microbes to reduce the cardiovascular risks associated with sleep apnea.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026

Researchers had previously found that gut microbes can modify bile acids and influence the amount of atherosclerosis, or fatty plaque buildup in the arteries, that develops over time.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026

The contest, in a district stretching from lower Manhattan into brownstone Brooklyn, has featured plenty of bile about Trump, promises of a more affordable city and picayune local disputes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

Thirteen of those deaths were attributed to vanishing bile duct syndrome, a condition marked by the destruction of the ducts that carry bile out of the liver.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

But she argued with them with such an absence of bile, such a concentration of manlove, that they felt their convictions solidified by her disagreement.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

“Put a finger down if simone biles just ended you 🖐🏼,” Lee wrote, referring to a popular TikTok trend.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2024

Alexander Calder's vivid mo biles were meant to jiggle and gyrate under the leaves, George Rickey's feathery kinetics to stir in the breeze.

From Time Magazine Archive

Job waz a card, he had more pashunce, and biles, tew the square inch, than iz usual.

From The Complete Works of Josh Billings by Shaw, Henry W.

The consequence was, that these disorders ceased: the biles too which had afflicted the men, were not observed beyond the Sioux river.

From History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. I. To the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed During the Years 1804-5-6. by Allen, Paul

Job had pretty plenty ov biles all over him, no doubt, but they were all ov one breed.

From The Complete Works of Josh Billings by Shaw, Henry W.

Related Words

• acrimony
• animosity
• animus
• antagonism
• bad blood
• bitterness
• enmity
• grudge
• harshness
• hatred
• hostility
• ill will
• malice
• resentment
• venom