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9 dictionary results for: bile
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
bile 
[bahyl] Pronunciation Key
[bahyl] Pronunciation Key –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 (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| bile
(bīl) Pronunciation Key
n.
[French, from Latin bīlis.] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
bile
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
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| bile | |
noun | |
| a digestive juice secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder; aids in the digestion of fats |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| 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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
bile
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.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Bile
Bile\, n. [OE. byle, bule, bele, AS. b?le, b?l; skin to D. buil, G. beule, and Goth. ufbauljan to puff up. Cf. Boil a tumor, Bulge.] A boil. [Obs. or Archaic]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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