n. & adj.
n. (pl. -ies) 1 a pensive sadness. 2 a mental depression. b a habitual or constitutional tendency to this. 3 hist. one of the four humours; black bile (see HUMOUR n. 5).
adj. (of a person) sad, gloomy; (of a thing) saddening, depressing; (of words, a tune, etc.) expressing sadness. melancholic adj. melancholically adv.
[ ME f. OF melancolie f. LL melancholia f. Gk melagkholia f. melas melanos black + khole bile ]