black bile
nounDefinition of black bile
: a humor of medieval physiology believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen and to cause melancholy
Examples of black bile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Galen, the Greco-Roman physician of the second century, argued that all human pathology could be conceptualized as imbalances of humors—black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm. — Siddhartha Mukherjee, The New Yorker, "The Promise and Price of Cellular Therapies," 15 July 2019 The topic is Hippocrates’ psychological prototypes — melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic and choleric — based on ancient beliefs in four corresponding humors: black bile, blood, phlegm and yellow bile. — Lauren Warnecke, chicagotribune.com, "Joffrey’s intense, anything-but-safe ‘Modern Masters’ shows how American ballet got here," 8 Feb. 2018 Writers including Hippocrates and Galen believed the human body was composed of four humors, or fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. — Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, "How Coffee, Chocolate and Tea Overturned a 1,500-Year-Old Medical Mindset," 17 May 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'black bile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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