Melancholia - plus, M-W tote bags for wordies!

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [September 15, 2018](#none) melancholia [Audio pronunciation]( noun | mel-un-KOH-lee-uh Definition : a mental condition and especially a [manic-depressive]( condition characterized by extreme depression, bodily complaints, and often [hallucinations]( and [delusions]( Scroll down for more about melancholia TRENDING NOW: [Spartan]( [hirsute]( [op-ed]( [collegiality]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING # [The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 9/14]( # [Words We're Watching: 'Copypasta']( # [Words We're Watching: 'Patchwriting']( # [Please Don't Whinge About Being Knackered, You Prat]( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [Musical Words Quiz]( A quiz in common time. [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? Today's word traces back to Greek melan‑ ("black, dark") and cholē ("bile"). Medical practitioners once adhered to the system of humors—bodily fluids that included [black bile](, [yellow bile](, [blood](, and [phlegm](. An imbalance of these humors was thought to lead to disorders of the mind and body. One suffering from an excess of black bile (believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen) could become sullen and unsociable—liable to anger, irritability, brooding, and depression. Today, doctors no longer ascribe physical and mental disorders to disruptions of the four humors, but the word melancholia is still used in psychiatry (it is identified as a "subtype" of clinical depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and as a general term for despondency. The older term [­melancholy](, ultimately from the same Greek roots, is historically a synonym of melancholia but now more often refers to a sad or pensive mood. Examples of MELANCHOLIA "Nevertheless, wakened out of her melancholia and called to the dinner table, she changed her mind. A little food in the stomach does wonders." — Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie, 1900 "The ocean as healer beckoned people through the centuries. English doctors of yester-century prescribed 'sea baths' even to dissolve melancholia." — Liza Field, The Roanoke (Virginia) Times, 13 Jan. 2018 Test Your Vocabulary Fill in the blanks to complete a word referring to a morbid concern about one's health accompanied by delusions of physical disease: h _ _ oc _ o _ d _ ia _ i _. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( MERCH Get ready for fall! Whether you're going back to school or going apple picking, we've got you covered with our new tote bags! [SHOP NOW [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( SHARE: [Facebook][Facebook]( [Twitter][Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 [www.merriam-webster.com](