Black Bile (Noun)
Meaning
A humor that was once believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen and to cause sadness and melancholy.
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- The ancient Greeks believed that an imbalance of black bile in the body was the cause of melancholy and depression.
- In medieval medicine, black bile was thought to be one of the four humors that made up a person's temperament.
- The theory of black bile as a cause of sadness and melancholy was widely accepted until the 19th century.
- According to the theory of the four humors, people with a predominance of black bile were considered to be melancholic and introspective.
- The concept of black bile as a physical substance that causes emotional states has been largely discredited by modern medicine.