bile

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“
[278] Dr. Parker writes, "Another cause which acted, together with the natural disposition of Cardan, to produce that odd mixture of folly and wisdom in him, was his habit of continual thinking by which the bile was absorbed and burnt up; he suffered neither eating, pleasure, nor pain to interrupt the course of his thoughts.

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun A bitter, alkaline, brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow fluid that is secreted by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and discharged into the duodenum and aids in the emulsification, digestion, and absorption of fats. Also called gall1.
  2. noun Bitterness of temper; ill humor; irascibility.
  3. noun Either of two bodily humors, black bile or yellow bile, in ancient and medieval physiology.

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Examples (50)

  • I started articles on bile, and, while Hippocrates spoke of cutting stones, I didn't see it as particularly relevant to a modern discussion. —  Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en]
  • No one pours acidic wit all over the posturing and pretensions of politicians like Maher; if you can take the fact that his wit sometimes veers into bile, his show is usually an enjoyably cynical affair.
  • "If this bile is not flowing freely, your food doesn't digest." —  Retrosnark
  • Actually most bile is a brownish orange color while piss is yellow. email iF THIS THREAD HITS THE ARCHIVES, WE CAN CONTINUE ABOVE. email —  East Side Boxing
  • If this IS a boxing site, how come Ronald's yellow corporate bile is all over it? —  East Side Boxing
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This word has been looked up 141 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French, from Latin bīlis.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Early modern English also byle, from Middle English bile, byle (occasionally biel, beel, later English beal, properly a dial. form: see beal), from Anglo-Saxon byte = OFries. beil, bel = Middle Dutch bule, Dutch buil = Low German bule, büle = Middle High German biule, German beule, bile, = Icelandic beyla = Swedish bula = Danish bule, bugle, a swelling; cf. Icelandic bōla = Swedish böld = Danish byld, a blain, a blister; from Teutonic √ *bul, seen in causal form in the Gothic (Moesogothic) ufbauljan, puff up: cf. boll. Bile is the true English form, still retained in the-vernacular speech; but, owing to a confusion with the verb boil (or perhaps with the D. form buil, pron. nearly as English boil), the word has taken in modern literary English the corrupt form boil. See boil.
  2. from French bile, from Latin bills, bile, anger; atra (or nigra) bills, equivalent to Greek μελαγχολία, black bile: see atrabile, melancholy.
 

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/baɪl/
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