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View synonyms for bile

bile

[ bahyl ]

noun

  1. Physiology. a bitter, alkaline, yellow or greenish liquid, secreted by the liver, that aids in absorption and digestion, especially of fats.
  2. ill temper; peevishness.
  3. Old Physiology. either of two humors associated with anger and gloominess.


bile

1

/ bəɪl /

verb

  1. See boil
    a Scot word for boil 1


bile

2

/ baɪl /

noun

  1. a bitter greenish to golden brown alkaline fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. It is discharged during digestion into the duodenum, where it aids the emulsification and absorption of fats
  2. irritability or peevishness
  3. archaic.
    either of two bodily humours, one of which ( black bile ) was thought to cause melancholy and the other ( yellow bile ) anger

bile

/ bīl /

  1. A bitter, alkaline, brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow fluid that is secreted by the liver, concentrated and stored in the gallbladder, and discharged into the duodenum of the small intestine. It helps in the digestion of fats and the neutralization of acids, such as the hydrochloric acid secreted by the stomach. Bile consists of salts, acids, cholesterol, lipids, pigments, and water.
  2. Bile salts help in the emulsification, digestion, and absorption of fats.
  3. Bile pigments are waste products formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin from old red blood cells.


bile

  1. A bitter fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder . Bile is discharged into the small intestine when needed to aid in the digestion of fats ( see digestive system ).


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Notes

Bile is sometimes used figuratively to denote bitterness in general: “His writing was full of bile.”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bile1

First recorded in 1655–65; from French, from Latin bīlis; of disputed origin; compare Breton bestl, Medieval Cornish bystel, Welsh bustl

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bile1

C17: from French, from Latin bīlis , probably of Celtic origin; compare Welsh bustl bile

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Example Sentences

Indeed, few filmmakers get as much bile and vitriol spewed their way as the man behind Madea.

So why does Electronic Intifada direct so much more bile toward the former than the latter?

Jesse Singal reports on the latest attempts to stem the flow of Internet bile.

By now, American rage has refined itself—like wine mixed with bile—into various categories and degrees.

The surgery removes the right side of the pancreas, the gallbladder, and parts of the stomach, bile duct, and small intestine.

This, however, should not be accepted as proving the presence of bile without further tests.

It depends upon the fact that bile acids lower surface tension.

A trace of bile may be present as a result of excessive straining while the tube is in the stomach.

Putty-colored or "acholic" stools occur when bile is deficient, either from obstruction to outflow or from deficient secretion.

The shell is thick, and is surrounded by an uneven gelatinous envelop which is often stained with bile.

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Bildungsromanbile acid