Nearby Words

bilious

[bil-yuhs] Example Sentences Origin

bil·ious

[bil-yuhs]
adjective
1.
Physiology, Pathology. pertaining to bile or to an excess secretion of bile.
2.
Pathology. suffering from, caused by, or attended by trouble with the bile or liver.
3.
peevish; irritable; cranky.
4.
extremely unpleasant or distasteful: a long scarf of bright, bilious green.

Origin:
1535–45; < Latin bīliōsus. See bile, -ous

bil·ious·ly, adverb
bil·ious·ness, noun
non·bil·ious, adjective
non·bil·ious·ly, adverb
non·bil·ious·ness, noun
EXPAND
un·bil·ious, adjective
un·bil·ious·ly, adverb
un·bil·ious·ness, noun
COLLAPSE


3. grumpy, crabby, cross, grouchy, dyspeptic.

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Bilious is always a great word to know.
So is continence. Does it mean:
the first menstrual period; the establishment of menstruation
the ability to voluntarily control urinary and fecal discharge
Example Sentences
  • Strange faces everywhere and a bustling, disputatious tone about it, bilious folk.
  • The essay continued in the same rather bilious vein for.
  • But bilious outbursts and business success often go hand in hand.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
bilious (ˈbɪlɪəs)
 
adj
1.  of or relating to bile
2.  affected with or denoting any disorder related to excess secretion of bile
3.  informal (esp of colours) extremely distasteful; nauseating: a bilious green
4.  informal bad-tempered; irritable
 
[C16: from Latin bīliōsus full of bile1]
 
'biliousness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bilious
1540s, "pertaining to bile, biliary," from Fr. bilieux, from L. biliosus, from bilis (see bile). Meaning "wrathful, peevish, ill-tempered" (as people afflicted with an excess of bile were believed to be) is attested from 1560s. This is the main modern sense in English and
EXPAND
French; the more literal meaning being taken up by biliary.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

bilious bil·ious (bĭl'yəs)
adj.

  1. Of, relating to, or containing bile; biliary.

  2. Characterized by an excess secretion of bile.

  3. Relating to, characterized by, or experiencing gastric distress caused by a disorder of the liver or gallbladder.


bil'ious·ness 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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