bile
Americannoun
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Physiology. a bitter, alkaline, yellow or greenish liquid, secreted by the liver, that aids in absorption and digestion, especially of fats.
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ill temper; peevishness.
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Old Physiology. either of two humors associated with anger and gloominess.
noun
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a bitter greenish to golden brown alkaline fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. It is discharged during digestion into the duodenum, where it aids the emulsification and absorption of fats
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irritability or peevishness
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archaic either of two bodily humours, one of which ( black bile ) was thought to cause melancholy and the other ( yellow bile ) anger
verb
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A bitter, alkaline, brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow fluid that is secreted by the liver, concentrated and stored in the gallbladder, and discharged into the duodenum of the small intestine. It helps in the digestion of fats and the neutralization of acids, such as the hydrochloric acid secreted by the stomach. Bile consists of salts, acids, cholesterol, lipids, pigments, and water.
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◆ Bile salts help in the emulsification, digestion, and absorption of fats.
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◆ Bile pigments are waste products formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin from old red blood cells.
Discover More
Bile is sometimes used figuratively to denote bitterness in general: “His writing was full of bile.”
Etymology
Origin of bile
First recorded in 1655–65; from French, from Latin bīlis; of disputed origin; compare Breton bestl, Medieval Cornish bystel, Welsh bustl
Explanation
In medicine, bile is a fluid secreted by the liver and used to help breakdown fats. Because it used to be associated with anger, feeling your bile rise is the same as feeling mounting anger. How did bile get linked to anger? Pre-modern doctors believed there were four basic substances to the human body, called humours, one of which was yellow bile that controlled anger. It doesn't, but when you feel angry, you'll still hear that you have to swallow your bile.
Vocabulary lists containing bile
Human Anatomy and Physiology - Introductory
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Life As We Knew It
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Human Anatomy and Physiology - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We also plan to take some of our key bile acids of interest and see if supplementation of these compounds alone can help prevent or reduce disease," Allaband said.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Earlier studies have shown that low oxygen levels can alter bile acids, substances produced by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and released into the intestines to help digest fats.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
The contest, in a district stretching from lower Manhattan into brownstone Brooklyn, has featured plenty of bile about Trump, promises of a more affordable city and picayune local disputes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Thirteen of those deaths were attributed to vanishing bile duct syndrome, a condition marked by the destruction of the ducts that carry bile out of the liver.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
I start to feel bile in the back of my throat.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
