bile

[bahyl] /baɪl/
noun
1.
Physiology. a bitter, alkaline, yellow or greenish liquid, secreted by the liver, that aids in absorption and digestion, especially of fats.
2.
ill temper; peevishness.
3.
Old Physiology. either of two humors associated with anger and gloominess.
Compare black bile, yellow bile.
Origin
1655-65; < French < Latin bīlis
Examples from the web for bile
  • Infection in the common bile duct from obstruction is common and serious.
  • It's obvious that some bile spewers are trying to run down a pretty darn good state school.
  • Certain probiotics can affect the production of bile acids, which in turn affect how much fat people absorb.
  • C binds to cholesterol and transports it to the liver, where it is converted to bile and excreted.
  • It poses less of a risk for bile duct injury compared with laparoscopy.
  • Some cholesterol is essential for the formation of cell membranes, hormones and bile juices.
  • Snake bile is used to clear up your phlegm and stomach, and to promote joint health.
  • bile acids dissolve fat in water in the intestinal cavity.
  • The caffeine in coffee is thought to stimulate gallbladder contractions and lower the cholesterol concentrations in bile.
  • Eventually, these breakdown products are eliminated from the blood through urine or bile.
British Dictionary definitions for bile

bile1

/baɪl/
noun
1.
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
2.
irritability or peevishness
3.
(archaic) either of two bodily humours, one of which (black bile) was thought to cause melancholy and the other (yellow bile) anger
Word Origin
C17: from French, from Latin bīlis, probably of Celtic origin; compare Welsh bustl bile

bile2

/bəɪl/
verb
1.
a Scot word for boil1
Word Origin and History for bile
n.

1660s, from French bile (17c.) "bile," also, informally, "anger," from Latin bilis "fluid secreted by the liver," also one of the four humors (also known as choler), thus "anger, peevishness" (especially as black bile, 1797).

bile in Medicine

bile (bīl)
n.

  1. A bitter, alkaline, brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow fluid that is secreted by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and discharged into the duodenum and aids in the emulsification, digestion, and absorption of fats. Also called gall1.

  2. Either of two bodily humors, black bile or yellow bile, in ancient and medieval physiology.

bile in Science
bile
  (bīl)   
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. ◇ Bile salts help in the emulsification, digestion, and absorption of fats. ◇ Bile pigments are waste products formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin from old red blood cells.
bile in Culture

bile definition


A bitter fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bile is discharged into the small intestine when needed to aid in the digestion of fats (see digestive system).

Note: Bile is sometimes used figuratively to denote bitterness in general: “His writing was full of bile.”