■ noun
1》 deep and long-lasting sadness.
↘another term for melancholia (as a mental condition).
2》 historical another term for black bile .
■ adjective feeling, causing, or expressing sadness.
Derivatives
melancholic adjective
melancholically adverb
Origin
ME: from OFr. melancolie , via late L. from Gk melankholia , from melas , melan- 'black' + kholē 'bile', an excess of which was formerly believed to cause depression.