SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

white–livered

play

adjective white–liv·ered \ˈhwīt-ˈli-vərd, ˈwit-\

Definition of white–livered

: pusillanimous, lily-livered

Origin and Etymology of white–livered

from the former belief that the choleric temperament depends on the body's producing large quantities of yellow bile

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1546

See Words from the same year

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up white–livered? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

hebetude

play

lethargy or dullness

Words at Play

watercolor-squares

We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square

It's about (you? your?) having your say.

Devilish Words

Don't blame a word use error on the devil.

alt-599492594f435

How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder

A case of semantic bleaching

dog-covering-face

Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz

Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz

True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz

Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game