Etymograph

English

choleric

Choleric comes from Middle English colerik ‘(adjective) of or relating to, or dominated…’, from Late Latin cholericus ‘quick to anger’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘green, yellow’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰelh₃-‘green, yellow’root as named
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχολέρᾰkholéră‘cholera’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEχολερικόςkholerikós‘of or relating to cholera’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcholericus‘quick to anger’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400coleric
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500colerik‘(adjective) of or relating to, or dominated by, choler’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1582choleric

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰelh₃-‘green, yellow’root as named
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχολέρᾰkholéră‘cholera’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEχολερικόςkholerikós‘of or relating to cholera’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcholericus‘quick to anger’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400coleric
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500colerik‘(adjective) of or relating to, or dominated by, choler’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1582choleric

Earliest quotation: 1582, The Second Booke of Virgil His Æneis: “Though that he were poſting in fatal iourney to…”

Equivalent to choler + -ic

Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘green, yellow’

…

Ancient Greek χολή ‘bile’

Latin cholera ‘bilious disease’

Old French colere ‘bile, anger’

Middle English coler ‘yellow bile’

English choler

The story

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’). 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’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘green, yellow’

gold, fell, yellow, gall, felon, chlorine, gullible, yolk, glib, gild, zloty, choline, chlorella, 28 more

Today it means

adj Of or relating to choler.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- / choleric