Tuesday, 11 October 2016

phlegmatic - Word of the Day - 12/10/16

phlegmatic


Pronunciation


adjective

Pronunciation


 fleg-MAT-ik

Definition


1 : resembling, consisting of, or producing the humor phlegm
2 : having or showing a slow and stolid temperament

Examples


"She said 'Good morning, Miss,' in her usual phlegmatic and brief manner; and taking up another ring and more tape, went on with her sewing." — Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847

"You are aware of the finality of fate, and tend to have a phlegmatic and sometimes unhappy compromise with your life, even when you long for a definitive resolution." — Molly Shea, The New York Post, 31 Aug. 2016

Did You Know?


According to the ancient Greeks, human personalities were controlled by four bodily fluids or semifluids called humorsbloodblack bileyellow bile, and phlegm. Each humor was associated with one of the four basic elements: air, earth, fire, and water. Phlegm was paired with water—the cold, moist element—and it was believed to impart the cool, calm, unemotional personality we now call the "phlegmatic type." That's a bit odd, given that the term derives from the Greek phlegma, which literally means "flame," perhaps a reflection of the inflammation that colds and flus often bring.

Test Your Memory


What is the meaning of implacable, our September 15th Word of the Day?

Merriam-Webster

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