Splenetic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /spləˈnɛtɪk/

Definitions

1. Exhibiting a temperament that is often angry or moody
2. Showing a tendency to be easily annoyed or upset
3. Characterized by a sour or cranky disposition

Etymology: Ancient physicians believed the spleen was the seat of bad temper. The organ was thought to produce a dark fluid whose excess sent gloom or rage through the body, and the Greek word for the organ, "splen", gave Latin "splen" and, later, Late Latin "spleneticus", meaning something like "suffering from the spleen." Humoral medicine held that a surplus of this fluid made a person irritable, so the adjective described a temperament, not just a passing mood. English took the word from that medical sense of the spleen as the root of temper. Its noun, "spleen", was already used for bad humour and ill will, and "splenetic" followed as the adjective for someone quick to take offence. The organ itself has no role in the modern meaning, which survives only as a trace of the old theory that the spleen governed anger.

Synonyms: irritable, testy, grouchy, grumpy, cross

Antonyms: cheerful, pleasant, good-natured, easy-going, calm