choler

American  

[kol-er] / ˈkɒl ər /

noun

1. irascibility; anger; wrath; irritability.

2. Old Physiology. yellow bile.

3. Obsolete. biliousness.

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choler British  

/ ˈkɒlə /

noun

1. anger or ill humour

2. archaic one of the four bodily humours; yellow bile See humour

3. obsolete biliousness

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Usage

What does choler mean? Choler means anger, irritability, or a generally bad temperament. Choler is more commonly used in its adjective form, choleric, meaning easily angered or generally bad-tempered. People described as choleric are grouchy all the time and prone to getting into arguments, often for very little reason. The word choler comes from the medieval notion that people’s personalities are based on the balance of four different types of elemental fluids in their body, called humors. One of these was called choler—another name for yellow bile. A choleric person was thought to be generally irritable due to the amount of choler in their body. Example: She was the kind of choleric person who would get into a fight over anything and everything.

Etymology

Origin of choler

1350–1400; Middle English colera < Medieval Latin, Latin cholera < Greek choléra cholera

Example Sentences

Throughout Seçkin’s debut, Sibel fixates on the ancient notion of the body’s four humors — blood, phlegm, black bile and choler — as a means of self-diagnosis for a persistent headache.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2022

Watson is in a perpetual state of stiff-necked choler tinged with snobbery — “I am better educated, more wealthy and stronger than you are,” he tells Bea, who is unmoved.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2021

Rockin’ the Suburbs offered no respite as it detailed the silent, hopeless choler of the human trash heap.

From The Guardian • Aug. 18, 2015

Drury’s analysis of “The Collar” — its title a triple pun on collar, choler and caller — reveals both the strength and weakness of his book.

From Washington Post

I recognised his decisive nose, more remarkable for character than beauty; his full nostrils, denoting, I thought, choler; his grim mouth, chin, and jaw—yes, all three were very grim, and no mistake.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë