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melancholy
[ mel-uhn-kol-ee ]
/ ˈmɛl ənˌkɒl i /
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noun, plural mel·an·chol·ies.
a gloomy state of mind, especially when habitual or prolonged; depression.
sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.
Archaic.
- the condition of having too much black bile, considered in ancient and medieval medicine to cause gloominess and depression.
- black bile.
adjective
OTHER WORDS FOR melancholy
2 seriousness.
6 serious.
VIDEO FOR MELANCHOLY
The Bizarre Origin Of The Word "Melancholy"
The meaning of melancholy was never a good thing, but it was way worse in medieval times … kind of like everything else back then when I think about it, actually.
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Origin of melancholy
OTHER WORDS FROM melancholy
mel·an·chol·i·ly, adverbmel·an·chol·i·ness, nounun·mel·an·chol·y, adjectiveWords nearby melancholy
Melampus, melan-, melancholia, melancholiac, melancholic, melancholy, Melanchthon, Melanesia, Melanesian, Melanesian Pidgin English, mélange
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use melancholy in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for melancholy
melancholy
/ (ˈmɛlənkəlɪ) /
noun plural -cholies
a constitutional tendency to gloominess or depression
a sad thoughtful state of mind; pensiveness
archaic
- a gloomy character, thought to be caused by too much black bile
- one of the four bodily humours; black bileSee humour (def. 8)
adjective
characterized by, causing, or expressing sadness, dejection, etc
Derived forms of melancholy
melancholily (ˈmɛlənˌkɒlɪlɪ), adverbmelancholiness, nounWord Origin for melancholy
C14: via Old French from Late Latin melancholia, from Greek melankholia, from melas black + kholē bile
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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