choleric
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: astrology
human-sciences
medicine
mysticism
philosophy
sciences
Etymology: From Middle English colerik (“(adjective) of or relating to, or dominated by, choler; of diseases: caused by excessive or toxic choler; of persons or their temperament: dominated by choler, irascible, quick to anger, choleric; of weather or zodiac signs: favourable to choler; (noun) person dominated by choler, person who is irascible or quick to anger; etc.”), from Anglo-Norman coleric, colerik, colerique, Middle French colerique, and Old French colerique (“(adjective) of or relating to choler; of persons or their temperament: dominated by choler, irascible, quick to anger; angry, enraged; (noun) person dominated by choler; person who is irascible”) (modern French cholérique), and from their etymon Late Latin cholericus (“quick to anger”), Latin cholericus (“person having cholera”), from Ancient Greek χολερικός (kholerikós, “of or relating to cholera”), from χολέρᾰ (kholéră, “cholera”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix meaning ‘of or relating to’). Χολέρᾰ (Kholéră) is possibly from Pre-Greek, or from χολή (kholḗ, “bile; gall”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“green; yellow”). By surface analysis, choler + -ic (suffix meaning ‘of or relating to’). Piecewise doublet of choleraic.
Adjective sense 2.1 (“of or relating to cholera; affected by cholera”) and noun sense 2.1 (“person suffering from cholera”) are probably influenced by French cholérique (“(adjective) of or relating to cholera; affected by cholera; (noun) person with cholera”).
Inflected forms:
form: more choleric
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most choleric
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: cholerics
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Senses relating to choler or yellow bile (“one of the four humours formerly believed to be secreted by the liver”).
pos: adj
tags: historical
gloss: Senses relating to choler or yellow bile (“one of the four humours formerly believed to be secreted by the liver”).
pos: adj
tags: historical
examples: Alway remember, that in wynter fleume increaſeth by reaſon of rayne and moyſtneſſe of that ſeaſon, alſo the length of nyghtes and moche reſte. And therfore in that tyme cholerike perſons, are beſt at eaſe, ſemblably are yonge men, but to olde men wynter is ennemye.
And let a Man bevvare, hovv he keepeth Company, vvith Cholerick and Quarelſome Perſons; for they vvill engage him into their ovvne Quarels.
From a chollerick man vvithdravv a little, from him that ſaies nothing, for ever.
Our tvvo Great Poets [Homer and Virgil], being ſo different in their Tempers, one Cholerick and Sanguin, the other Phlegmatick and Melancholick; that vvhich makes them excel in their ſeveral VVays, is, that each of them has follovv'd his ovvn natural Inclination, as vvell in Forming the Deſign, as in the Execution of it.
gloss: Senses relating to choler or yellow bile (“one of the four humours formerly believed to be secreted by the liver”).
pos: adj
tags: historical
gloss: Senses relating to choler or yellow bile (“one of the four humours formerly believed to be secreted by the liver”).
pos: adj
tags: historical
obsolete
examples: [T]he cholerike ſtomake, doth not deſyre ſo much as he may digeſte, the melancholye ſtomake may not digeſte ſo moche as he deſyreth: for colde maketh appetyte, but naturall heate concocteth or boyleth.
gloss: Senses relating to choler or yellow bile (“one of the four humours formerly believed to be secreted by the liver”).
pos: adj
tags: historical
obsolete
gloss: Senses relating to choler or yellow bile (“one of the four humours formerly believed to be secreted by the liver”).
pos: adj
tags: historical
obsolete
examples: Gru[mio]. VVhat ſay you to a Neats foote? / Kate [Katherina Minola]. 'Tis paſsing good, I prethee let me haue it. / Gru. I feare it is too chollericke a meate. / Hovv ſay you to a fat Tripe finely broyl'd? / Kate. I like it vvell, good Grumio fetch it me. / Gru. I cannot tell, I feare 'tis chollericke. / VVhat ſay you to a peece of Beefe and Muſtard?
A chollericke parcell of food it is, that vvho ſo ties himſelfe to racke and manger to for fiue ſummers, and fiue vvinters, he ſhall beget a child that vvill be a ſouldiour and a commaunder before hee hath caſt his firſt teeth, […]
gloss: Senses relating to choler or yellow bile (“one of the four humours formerly believed to be secreted by the liver”).
pos: adj
tags: broadly
examples: […] Moſes might ſeem to bee the ſharpeſt, the rougheſt, and the cholorickeſt man yͭ euer vvas: and that vvas againſt his nature.
VVhat, vvhat, my Lord? Are you ſo chollericke / VVith Elianor [Eleanor Cobham], for telling but her dreame?
Hovv angry the poor Devil is? in fine thou art as cholerick as a Cook by a Fire ſide.
For God’s ſake, Madam, vvhy ſo Cholerick? I ſay, this Letter is ſome Forgery; […]
But Bunting was a prudent man, and not apt to be choleric.
As it was clear that he was a choleric fellow in some respects, Mr. Swiveller was relieved to find him in such good humour, and, to encourage him in it, smiled himself.
You are patient, and I am choleric; you are quiet and pale, and I am tanned and fiery; you are a strict Protestant, and I am a sort of lay Jesuit; but we are alike—there is affinity.
The Rev B. B. Gordon was a man by nature ill-suited to be a schoolmaster: he was impatient and choleric. With no one to call him to account, with only small boys to face him, he had long lost all power of self-control. He began his work in a rage and ended it in a passion.
Rage and swearing were the natural secretions of Oswald's mind at every season of perplexity; he became angry when other types would be despondent. Where melancholic men abandon effort, men of the choleric type take to kicking and smashing.
Beneath his choleric exterior Gerald O'Hara had the tenderest of hearts.
gloss: Senses relating to choler or yellow bile (“one of the four humours formerly believed to be secreted by the liver”).
pos: adj
tags: broadly
examples: Though that he were poſting in fatal iourney to deaths doore, / Yeet this quick cholerick challenge hee could not abandon.
That in the Captaine's but a chollericke vvord, / VVhich in the Souldier is flat blaſphemie.
[H]e dared to ſay, that, after ſuch an exertion of ſpirit, as he called a choleric exceſs, I ſhould not hear any more of them for one vvhile; […]
[H]e forgot completely about Cripps's letter, […] He was unpleasantly reminded of the omission next morning by another missive from the exiled Cripps, couched in such choleric terms that it seemed to explode in Limpet's face as he read it.
Like most pieces of agitprop, the Lucas and Sargent paper vastly overstated the deficiencies of the old order. And as in most revolutionary movements, counterrevolutionary action was dealt with harshly – witness Lucas's (1994) choleric reaction to Ball and Mankiw (1994).
gloss: Senses relating to choler or yellow bile (“one of the four humours formerly believed to be secreted by the liver”).
pos: adj
tags: broadly
obsolete
examples: [T]he common opinion is (though long ſince exploded by Columella) that all hot, and choleric grounds, are red or brovvn; cold and dry, blackiſh; cold and moiſt, vvhitiſh; hot and moiſt, ruddy; […]
gloss: Senses relating to cholera (“any of several acute infectious diseases caused by certain strains of the Vibrio cholerae bacterium”).
pos: adj
gloss: Senses relating to cholera (“any of several acute infectious diseases caused by certain strains of the Vibrio cholerae bacterium”).
pos: adj
examples: I now proceed to enumerate those lesions and morbid changes found in the bodies of those cut off by cholera, which must have preceded the appearance of the disease, and which, existing, as they did, in very different organs, had no connection with the choleric symptoms, but nevertheless rendered the chance of recovery much less likely.
gloss: Senses relating to choler.
pos: noun
tags: historical
examples: According to the difference of Mens Conſtitutions, ſo they have choſen various VVays, that did moſt ſute vvith their Tempers, […] The Sanguine love Pageantry; the Flegmatick, the dull return of their Forms; the Melancholy affect Severities; and the Cholerick are peeviſh and paſſionate, and think thoſe Heats that are natural to them, are Sacrifices of great value vvith God. But vvill he accept of theſe from ſuch defiled hands?
According as one or other of these fluids or "humours" got the upper hand in the body, did the person belong to one or other of the four recognized temperaments—the sanguine, the phlegmatic (or lymphatic), the choleric, the melancholic. Certain qualities were assumed to belong to each of these temperaments. […] The cholerics show ambition, stubbornness, love of work, courage; […]
gloss: Senses relating to choler.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
examples: [A]s Plutarch ſaith, Men are not vvoont to dravv a freſh cheeſe vvith a hooke: but as for the cholericke, they dravv not, but brooze, breake and ſhatter in peeces; and in ſtead of dravving, do thruſt off children from comming to learning.
[W]e ſhall produce one great group of orators, in vvhich vvill be exhibited ſpecimens of every branch of the art. You vvill have at one vievv, the choleric, the placid, the voluble, the frigid, the frothy, the turgid, the calm, and the clamorous; […]
But, unlike the Sanguine, the Choleric are vindictive. […] Cholerics dream of thunder and of bright, dangerous things, like arrows and fire, as Peretelote knows[…].
Cholerics are extremely hostile people. Some learn to control their anger, but eruption into violence is always a possibility with them. […] No one utters more caustic comments than a sarcastic choleric! He is usually reading with a cutting comment that can wither the insecure and devastate the less combative.
gloss: Senses relating to cholera.
pos: noun
gloss: Senses relating to cholera.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: Persons laboring under pulmonary affections appear to be less liable than others, though I have found softened tubercles in some cholerics.
Related words: choler
Derived words: cholerically
cholericly
cholericness
noncholeric
sanguineocholeric
uncholeric
Translations:
lang: Finnish
word: koleerinen