As the December holidays commence, I hope that neither you nor anyone you know goes around being atrabilious!
Atrabilious is an adjective meaning melancholy or ill-tempered. When physicians thought that our bodies were controlled by different humors, atrabilious referred to being affected by black bile, the humor which controls melancholia. One who is atrabilious could also be called splenetic, as it was one's spleen that was thought to secrete the black bile. (The other humors include blood, yellow bile, and phlegm.)
Anyway, depression and melancholy are common aspects of atrabiliousness, in close concert with irritability and subdued social interaction. This season can be a source of stress and loneliness for some, while others are all about love for their neighbors and peace on Earth. Please continue to check in on one another and show each other plenty of small ways in which you care. Sometimes it's enough to just be present for one another instead of shelling out big on a gift.
Happy December,
-C
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