Related Searches
on Ask.com
bile - 9 dictionary results
bile
[bahyl] 
–noun
| 1. | Physiology. a bitter, alkaline, yellow or greenish liquid, secreted by the liver, that aids in absorption and digestion, esp. of fats. |
| 2. | ill temper; peevishness. |
| 3. | Old Physiology. either of two humors associated with anger and gloominess. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
|
Link To bile
| bile (bīl) n.
[French, from Latin bīlis.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Bile
Bile\, n. [L. bilis: cf. F. bile.]1. (Physiol.) A yellow, or greenish, viscid fluid, usually alkaline in reaction, secreted by the liver. It passes into the intestines, where it aids in the digestive process. Its characteristic constituents are the bile salts, and coloring matters. 2. Bitterness of feeling; choler; anger; ill humor; as, to stir one's bile. --Prescott. Note: The ancients considered the bile to be the "humor" which caused irascibility.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : bile
Spanish:
bilis, hiel,
German:
die Galle,
Japanese:
胆汁
bile
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).
Note: Bile is sometimes used figuratively to denote bitterness in general: “His writing was full of bile.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
bile
1665, from Fr. bile, from L. bilis "fluid secreted by the liver," also one of the four humors (also known as choler), thus "anger, peevishness" (especially as black bile, 1797). Bilious "ill-tempered" first recorded 1561.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Main Entry: bile
Pronunciation: 'bI(&)l
Function: noun
1 : a yellow or greenish viscid alkaline fluid secreted by the liver and passed into theduodenum where it aids especially in the emulsification and absorption of fats called also fel
2 : either of two humors associated in old physiology with irascibility andmelancholy
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
bile (bīl)
n.
- 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.
- Either of two bodily humors, black bile or yellow bile, in ancient and medieval physiology.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
| bile (bīl) Pronunciation Key
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. ◇ Bile salts help in the emulsification, digestion, and absorption of fats. ◇ Bile pigments are waste products formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin from old red blood cells. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
