Adjacent Words

Spleen definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SPLEEN, n. [L., Gr.]
1. The milt; a soft part of the viscera of animals, whose use is not well understood. The ancients supposed this to be the seat of melancholy, anger or vexation. Hence,
2. Anger; latent spite; ill humor. Thus we say, to vent ones spleen.
In noble minds some dregs remain, Not yet purged off, of spleen and sour disdain.
3. A fit of anger.
4. A fit; a sudden motion. [Not used.]
5. Melancholy; hypochondriacal affections.
--Bodies changd to recent forms by spleen.
6. Immoderate merriment. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a large dark-red oval organ on the left side of the body between the stomach and the diaphragm; produces cells involved in immune responses [syn: spleen, lien]
2: a feeling of resentful anger [syn: irascibility, short temper, spleen, quick temper]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English splen, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French espleen, from Latin splen, from Greek spl?n; akin to Latin lien spleen, Sanskrit pl?han Date: 14th century 1. a highly vascular ductless organ that is located in the left abdominal region near the stomach or intestine of most vertebrates and is concerned with final destruction of red blood cells, filtration and storage of blood, and production of lymphocytes 2. obsolete the seat of emotions or passions 3. archaic melancholy 4. feelings of anger or ill will often suppressed 5. obsolete a sudden impulse or whim ; caprice Synonyms: see malice

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 an abdominal organ involved in maintaining the proper condition of blood in most vertebrates. 2 lowness of spirits; moroseness, ill temper, spite (from the earlier belief that the spleen was the seat of such feelings) (a fit of spleen; vented their spleen). Derivatives: spleenful adj. spleeny adj. Etymology: ME f. OF esplen f. L splen f. Gk splen

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spleen Spleen, v. t. To dislke. [Obs.] --Bp. Hacket.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spleen Spleen, n. [L. splen, Gr. ???? the milt or spleen, affection of the spleen; cf. L. lien, plihan, pl[=i]han.] 1. (Anat.) A peculiar glandlike but ductless organ found near the stomach or intestine of most vertebrates and connected with the vascular system; the milt. Its exact function in not known. 2. Anger; latent spite; ill humor; malice; as, to vent one's spleen. In noble minds some dregs remain, Not yet purged off, of spleen and sour disdain. --Pope. 3. A fit of anger; choler. --Shak. 4. A sudden motion or action; a fit; a freak; a whim. [Obs. or R.] A thousand spleens bear her a thousand ways. --Shak. 5. Melancholy; hypochondriacal affections. Bodies changed to various forms by spleen. --Pope. There is a luxury in self-dispraise: And inward self-disparagement affords To meditative spleen a grateful feast. --Wordsworth. 6. A fit of immoderate laughter or merriment. [Obs.] Thy silly thought enforces my spleen. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(spleens) 1. Your spleen is an organ near your stomach that controls the quality of your blood. N-COUNT 2. Spleen is great and bitter anger. (FORMAL) Paul Fussell's latest book vents his spleen against everything he hates about his country... N-UNCOUNT: usu poss N

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. (Anat.) Milt. 2. Anger, spite, animosity, gall, rancor, pique, malevolence, malignity, grudge, hatred, malice, ill-humor, peevishness, irascibility, chagrin. 3. Melancholy, despondency, hypochondria, dejection, depression, dumps, megrims, the dismals, the blues, blue devils, vapors, hypochondriasis.

Moby Thesaurus

abdomen, acerbity, acid, acidity, acidulousness, acrimony, anger, angst, anguish, animosity, anus, anxiety, appendix, asperity, bad humor, bad temper, bile, biliousness, bitter resentment, bitterness, bitterness of spirit, blind gut, boredness, boredom, bowels, brain, causticity, cecum, cheerlessness, choler, colon, corrosiveness, despite, despitefulness, discomfort, discomposure, discontent, dislike, dispiritedness, displeasure, disquiet, dissatisfaction, dread, dullness, duodenum, emptiness, endocardium, ennui, entrails, existential woe, fed-upness, flatness, foregut, gall, giblets, gizzard, gnashing of teeth, grimness, grudge, guts, hard feelings, heart, heartburning, hindgut, ill, ill humor, ill nature, ill temper, innards, inner mechanism, inquietude, insides, internals, intestine, inwards, jadedness, jejunum, joylessness, kidney, kishkes, lack of pleasure, large intestine, life-weariness, liver, liver and lights, lung, malaise, melancholy, midgut, nausea, nongratification, nonsatisfaction, painfulness, perineum, pump, pylorus, rancor, rankling, rectum, satiation, satiety, savorlessness, slow burn, small intestine, soreness, sourness, staleness, stomach, taedium vitae, tastelessness, tediousness, tedium, ticker, tiredness, tripes, uncomfortableness, unease, uneasiness, unhappiness, unpleasure, unsatisfaction, vermiform appendix, vexation of spirit, virulence, viscera, vitals, wearifulness, weariness, works, world-weariness, wrath