Choleresis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The increased production and release of bile from the liver into the digestive tract
2. A rise in the flow of bile secreted by the liver, aiding the digestion of fats
3. The stimulated output of bile by liver cells, which then passes into the small intestine

Etymology: Choleresis is a medical term for an increase in the flow of bile from the liver, and its parts are built from two Greek words. The first, "chole," is Greek for bile, the same root that gives English "cholera" and "melancholy," the latter originally a belief that black bile caused sadness. The second element is the source of the main uncertainty. Some accounts take it from "rhesis," meaning flow, which would make the whole word a close relative of "cholestasis," the opposite condition in which bile flow is blocked. Others propose "hairesis," meaning a taking, or the suffix "-uresis," which appears in medical terms for urine flow such as "diuresis." The "rhesis" explanation fits the meaning best, since it pairs naturally with "cholestasis" and describes a flow.