biliary

American

[bil-ee-er-ee, bil-yuh-ree] / ˈbɪl iˌɛr i, ˈbɪl yə ri /

adjective

Physiology.
1. of bile.
2. conveying bile.
  
  a biliary duct.
Archaic. bilious.

biliary British

/ ˈbɪlɪərɪ /

adjective

of or relating to bile, to the ducts that convey bile, or to the gall bladder

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of biliary

1725–35; perhaps < French biliaire; see bile, -aire, -ary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The biliary cancer treatment delayed disease progression but failed to meet overall survival targets because of confounded data.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

When scientists studied women with such diseases, they often found fetal cells in the affected organs: the skin in scleroderma, the liver in biliary cirrhosis, the joints in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

Mrs K, a patient at Wrexham Maelor hospital, died on 31 January 2022 from biliary sepsis, a serious infection of the bile ducts.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2024

Notably, these include cancers that are linked to obesity including "colorectum, uterine corpus, gallbladder and other biliary, kidney and renal pelvis, and pancreas" cancers.

From Salon • Aug. 2, 2024

Practically all the symptoms of the presence of biliary calculus may be thus simulated.

From Psychotherapy by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023