Hypertext Webster Gateway: "melancholy"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Melancholy \Mel"an*chol*y\, n. [OE. melancolie, F.
m['e]lancolie, L. melancholia, fr. Gr. ?; me`las, -anos,
black + ? gall, bile. See {Malice}, and 1st {Gall}.]
1. Depression of spirits; a gloomy state continuing a
considerable time; deep dejection; gloominess. --Shak.
2. Great and continued depression of spirits, amounting to
mental unsoundness; melancholia.
3. Pensive maditation; serious thoughtfulness. [Obs.] ``Hail,
divinest Melancholy !'' --Milton.
4. Ill nature. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Melancholy \Mel"an*chol*y\, a.
1. Depressed in spirits; dejected; gloomy dismal. --Shak.
2. Producing great evil and grief; causing dejection;
calamitous; afflictive; as, a melancholy event.
3. Somewhat deranged in mind; having the jugment impaired.
[Obs.] --Bp. Reynolds.
4. Favorable to meditation; somber.
A pretty, melancholy seat, well wooded and watered.
--Evelin.
Syn: Gloomy; sad; dispirited; low-spirited; downhearted;
unhappy; hypochondriac; disconsolate; heavy, doleful;
dismal; calamitous; afflictive.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
melancholy
adj : characterized by or causing or expressing sadness; "growing
more melancholy every hour"; "her melancholic smile";
"we acquainted him with the melancholy truth" [syn: {melancholic}]
n 1: a feeling of thoughtful sadness
2: a constitutional tendency to be gloomy and depressed
3: a humor that was once believed to be secreted by the kidneys
or spleen and to cause sadness and melancholy [syn: {black
bile}]
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.