体液論の議論は、35年以上勉強していることもあって、少しずつマスターできている。分からない部分がある場合には、腰を下ろして色々と調べると、かなりの部分が分かる。
数日前の OED で felliflous という形容詞が登場して、これを読むと黄胆汁 yellow bile だけれども、しばらく分からなかった。基本は、ラテン語の fell という単語に gall （胆嚢）という意味があることを知らなかったことがある。その語に、流れるという意味の -flous というラテン語・英語を足せばいい。そうすると、felliflous は、胆嚢から流れる黄胆汁が効果を発揮するような状態になる。精神的には怒り、身体的には熱と乾燥、環境としては火となるという議論である。
Your word for Thursday 18th July is: fellifluous, adj.
fellifluous, adj.
[‘Flowing with bile; (figurative) bitter, rancorous.’]
Pronunciation: Brit. /fᵻˈlɪfluːəs/, U.S. /fəˈlɪfluəs/
Origin: A borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Etymons: Latin fellifluus, -ous suffix.
Etymology: < post-classical Latin fellifluus (5th cent.; < classical Latin fel gall (see fell n.4) + fluere to flow: see fluent adj.) + -ous suffix.
Compare the following earlier example of fellifluously:
1624 J. Vicars in tr. G. Goodwin Babels Balm sig. A 4 Then, seeke, sucke, what Thou thinkst best, And, to Honey-Combes digest, What thou hast so well collected, And Fellifluously confected.
Now rare.
Flowing with bile; (figurative) bitter, rancorous.
1656 T. Blount Glossographia Fellifluous, flowing of the Gall.
1721 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. Fellifluous, flowing with gall.
1741 Querists, Pt. III 140 Would not he do well to consider, whether or no his Language, in this, be not more fellifluous than mellifluous?
1849 R. Bulwer-Lytton Peer's Daughters I. 223 The latter's poor, feeble, halting, vacillating, thread-bare soul, lacerated in endless agonies against his mother's foul treachery and fellifluous deceit.
1924 B. Hecht Kingdom of Evil 48 Its claws scratch at the back of his eyeballs and cause him to see visions, to shriek with fevers, to choke in the embrace of fetid and fellifluous chimeras.
2007 D. Abse Presence 150 Behind a counter two young women, both evidently Asian, served a queue including a tipsy fellifluous Irishman.
