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Definition of melancholy noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

melancholy

noun
 
/ˈmelənkəli/,
 
/ˈmelənkɒli/
 
/ˈmelənkɑːli/
[uncountable] (literary)
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  1. a feeling of being very sad that lasts for a long time and often cannot be explained
    • A mood of melancholy descended on us.
    • There is a brooding melancholy in his black and white photography.
    Topics Feelingsc2
    Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French melancolie, via late Latin from Greek melankholia, from melas, melan- ‘black’ + kholē ‘bile’, an excess of which was formerly believed to cause depression.
See melancholy in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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