atrabiliary

/ˌæt.ɹəˈbɪl.i.əɹ.i/

//ˌæt.ɹəˈbɪl.i.əɹ.i// adj

"atrabiliary" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“atrabiliary” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to black bile.

Corpus desk

Index EN-atrabiliary · atrabiliary · English

atrabiliary · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for atrabiliary
PropertyValue
Headwordatrabiliary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌæt.ɹəˈbɪl.i.əɹ.i/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “atrabiliary” in English

atrabiliarysits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

atrabiliary is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌæt.ɹəˈbɪl.i.əɹ.i/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for atrabiliary in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin ātra bīlis (“black bile”) (āter (“dark, black”) + bīlis (“bile”)) + -ary. The correct English form is atrabiliary, spelled A-T-R-A-B-I-L-I-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to black bile.
  2. 2
    Melancholic or hypochondriac; atrabilious.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how atrabiliary appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A Cancer again is known by its renitency of touch, if it be mild it carries a black or livid colour outwards, so made by the peccant humour or atrabiliary juice; there's no heat felt on the touch, but rather a coldness in the part; […]
  2. […] 'Tis true, when once a Schirrus is formed in a glandular Part, no one can tell how it may terminate; becauſe various changes may ariſe from various Cauſes in the Conſtitution of the Perſon; and if the Juices ſhould degenerate into a highly acrid, or what the Ancients termed an atrabiliary State, the Schirrus will be (cæteris paribus) more liable to be…

Etymology

From Latin ātra bīlis (“black bile”) (āter (“dark, black”) + bīlis (“bile”)) + -ary.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "atrabiliary"?
"atrabiliary" is spelled A-T-R-A-B-I-L-I-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæt.ɹəˈbɪl.i.əɹ.i/.
What does "atrabiliary" mean?
As an adjective, "atrabiliary" means: Of or relating to black bile.
How do you pronounce "atrabiliary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "atrabiliary" is /ˌæt.ɹəˈbɪl.i.əɹ.i/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "atrabiliary"?
From Latin ātra bīlis (“black bile”) (āter (“dark, black”) + bīlis (“bile”)) + -ary. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list