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.
Derivatives:
melancholic adj. melancholically adv.
Etymology: ME f. OF melancolie f. LL melancholia f. Gk melagkholia f. melas melanos black + khole bile