spleen
Pronunciation: /spliːn/
The English word “spleen” has 10 meanings listed here.
noun
- In vertebrates, including humans, a ductless vascular gland, located in the upper left abdomen near the stomach, which destroys old red blood cells, removes debris from the bloodstream, acts as a reservoir of blood, and produces lymphocytes.
- A bad mood; spitefulness. Compare gall.
- A sudden motion or action; a fit; a freak; a whim.
- Melancholy; hypochondriacal affections.
- A fit of immoderate laughter or merriment.
verb
Etymology
From Middle English splene, splen, from Anglo-Norman espleen and Old French esplein, esplen, from Latin splēn (“milt”), from Ancient Greek σπλήν (splḗn, “the spleen”). Doublet of lien. Partially displaced the native English term milt.
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.