English
choleric
Choleric comes from Middle English colerik ‘(adjective) of or relating to, or dominated…’, from Late Latin cholericus ‘quick to anger’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘green, yellow’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰelh₃-1‘green, yellow’root named by Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχολέρᾰ1kholéră‘cholera’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχολερικός1kholerikós‘of or relating to cholera’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcholericus1‘quick to anger’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400coleric1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500colerik1‘(adjective) of or relating to, or dominated by, choler’
- Englishearliest quotation 1582choleric1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English choleric
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1582, The Second Booke of Virgil His Æneis: “Though that he were poſting in fatal iourney to…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰelh₃-Wiktionary, English choleric‘green, yellow’root named by Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχολέρᾰWiktionary, English cholerickholéră‘cholera’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχολερικόςWiktionary, English cholerickholerikós‘of or relating to cholera’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcholericusWiktionary, English choleric‘quick to anger’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400colericWiktionary, English choleric
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500colerikWiktionary, English choleric‘(adjective) of or relating to, or dominated by, choler’
- Englishearliest quotation 1582cholericWiktionary, English choleric. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1582, The Second Booke of Virgil His Æneis: “Though that he were poſting in fatal iourney to…”
Equivalent to choler + -ic
Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘green, yellow’
…
Ancient Greek χολή ‘bile’
Latin cholera ‘bilious disease’
Old French colere ‘bile, anger’
Middle English coler ‘yellow bile’
English choler
The story
From Middle English colerik (‘(adjective) of or relating to, or dominated by, choler; of diseases: caused by excessive or toxic choler; of persons or their temperament: dominated by choler, irascible, quick to anger, choleric; of weather or zodiac signs: favourable to choler; (noun) person dominated by choler, person who is irascible or quick to anger; etc.’), from Anglo-Norman coleric, colerik, colerique, Middle French colerique, and Old French colerique (‘(adjective) of or relating to choler; of persons or their temperament: dominated by choler, irascible, quick to anger; angry, enraged; (noun) person dominated by choler; person who is irascible’) (modern French cholérique), and from their etymon Late Latin cholericus (‘quick to anger’), Latin cholericus (‘person having cholera’), from Ancient Greek χολερικός (kholerikós, “of or relating to cholera”), from χολέρᾰ (kholéră, “cholera”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix meaning ‘of or relating to’). Χολέρᾰ (Kholéră) is possibly from Pre-Greek, or from χολή (kholḗ, “bile; gall”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (‘green; yellow’). Adjective sense 2.1 (‘of or relating to cholera; affected by cholera’) and noun sense 2.1 (‘person suffering from cholera’) are probably influenced by French cholérique (‘(adjective) of or relating to cholera; affected by cholera; (noun) person with cholera’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘green, yellow’
gold, fell, yellow, gall, felon, chlorine, gullible, yolk, glib, gild, zloty, choline, chlorella, 27 more
Today it means
adj Of or relating to choler.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “choleric”. 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- / choleric