melancholy
noun/ˈmelənkəli/, /ˈmelənkɒli/
/ˈmelənkɑːli/
[uncountable] (literary)- a feeling of being very sad that lasts for a long time and often cannot be explained
- A mood of melancholy descended on us.
- There is a brooding melancholy in his black and white photography.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French melancolie, via late Latin from Greek melankholia, from melas, melan- ‘black’ + kholē ‘bile’, an excess of which was formerly believed to cause depression.Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
melancholy