English
bilious
Bilious comes from Latin bīliōsus ‘full of bile’, and goes back to Proto-Italic *bistli-.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*bistli-reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbīlis‘bile’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEbīliōsus‘full of bile’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentbilieux
- Englishearliest quotation 1815bilious
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*bistli-reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbīlis‘bile’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEbīliōsus‘full of bile’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentbilieux
- Englishearliest quotation 1815bilious
Earliest quotation: 1815, Jane Austen, Emma: “Perry tells me that Mr. Cole never touches malt…”
Linked words
through Latin bīlis ‘bile’
Today it means
adj Of or pertaining to something containing or consisting of bile.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *bistli- / bilious