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Melancholia

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mel⋅an⋅cho⋅li⋅a

[mel-uhn-koh-lee-uh, -kohl-yuh]
–noun
1. a mental condition characterized by great depression of spirits and gloomy forebodings.
2. Psychiatry. endogenous depression.

Origin:
1685–95; < LL; see melancholy

endogenous depression

–noun Psychiatry.
a severe form of depression usually characterized by insomnia, weight loss, and inability to experience pleasure, thought to be of internal origin and not influenced by external events.
Also called melancholia.


Origin:
1960–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mel·an·cho·li·a   (měl'ən-kō'lē-ə)   
n.  A mental disorder characterized by severe depression, guilt, hopelessness, and withdrawal.

[Late Latin, melancholy; see melancholy.]
mel'an·cho'li·ac (-lē-āk') adj. & n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mel·an·cho·lia
Pronunciation: "mel-&n-'kO-lE-&
Function: noun
: a mental condition characterized by extremedepression, bodily complaints, and often hallucinations and delusions; especially : BIPOLAR DISORDER
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

endogenous depression n.
A group of symptoms that resemble depression but are not precipitated by a stressful experience, especially psychomotor agitation or retardation, insomnia and early morning awakening, weight loss, excessive guilt, and a lack of reactivity to one's environment.

melancholia mel·an·cho·li·a (měl'ən-kō'lē-ə)
n.
A mental disorder characterized by depression, apathy, and withdrawal.


mel'an·cho'li·ac (-lē-āk') adj. & n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

melancholia

formerly the psychological condition known as depression. The term now refers to extreme features of depression, especially the failure to take pleasure in activities

Learn more about melancholia with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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