Bilious

WORD OF THE DAY

bilious / adjective / BILL-yus

Definition
1a (biology): of or relating to a yellow or greenish fluid that is secreted by the liver and that aids especially in the emulsification and absorption of fats
1b: of or relating to bile
1c (biology): marked by or suffering from liver dysfunction and especially excessive secretion of bile
1d: appearing as if affected by a bilious disorder
2: of or indicative of a peevish ill-natured disposition
3: sickeningly unpleasant

Examples
"Inserting a character inspired by Big Daddy Pollitt in Tennessee Williams's 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' into a scenario patched together from three William Faulkner works, Orson Welles so thoroughly dominates 'The Long, Hot Summer' as Will Varner, the bilious magnate of Mississippi small town, that the other actors struggle to make themselves known."
— Scott Tobias, The New York Times, 11 Oct. 2022

Today Is the Today — into a bilious noise-rock confection, all rumbling bass, spat-out vocals and rusty-wire guitar.
—  Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 27 Sep. 2022

Did You Know?
Bilious is one of several words whose origins trace to the old belief that four bodily humors (black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood) control temperament.
Just like phlegmatic ("of a slow and stolid phlegm-driven character"), melancholy ("experiencing dejection associated with black bile"), and sanguine ("of a cheerful, blood-based disposition"), bilious suggests a personality associated with an excess of one of the humors—in this case, yellow bile.
Such a personality may also be described as unreasonable, peevish, or ill-tempered, as typified by Charlotte Brontë in her 1849 novel, Shirley: "These two men, of hard, bilious natures both, rarely came into contact but they chafed each other’s moods."