Etymograph

English

acholia

Acholia comes from New Latin acholia, from Ancient Greek χολή ‘bile’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘green, yellow’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰelh₃-1‘green, yellow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰolh₃-éh₂1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʰolā́1‘gall, bile’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχολή2kholḗ‘bile’
  5. New Latinc. 1500–1900acholia2
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1875acholia2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek χολή
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English acholia
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1875, Felix von Niemeyer, A Text-book of Practical Medicine: “The intensely bilious color of the liver shows that…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰelh₃-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek χολή‘green, yellow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰolh₃-éh₂Wiktionary, Ancient Greek χολήreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʰolā́Wiktionary, Ancient Greek χολή‘gall, bile’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχολήWiktionary, English acholiakholḗ‘bile’
  5. New Latinc. 1500–1900acholiaWiktionary, English acholia
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1875acholiaWiktionary, English acholia. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1875, Felix von Niemeyer, A Text-book of Practical Medicine: “The intensely bilious color of the liver shows that…”

Linked words

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

gold, fell, yellow, gall, chlorine, felon, gullible, yolk, cholera, gild, glib, zloty, chlorella, 26 more

through Ancient Greek χολή ‘bile’

choline, 3 more

Today it means

noun Deficiency or absence of bile.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “acholia”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek χολή. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

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

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