1909 dictionary definition for Got the Morbs

"Got the morbs" is a

slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...

phrase or

euphemism A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...

used in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

. The phrase describes a person afflicted with temporary melancholy or sadness. The term was defined in

James Redding Ware James Redding Ware (1832 c. 1909, pseudonym Andrew Forrester) was a British writer, novelist and playwright, creator of one of the first female detectives in fiction. His last known work was a dictionary. Early life James Redding Ware was bor ...

's 1909 book ''Passing English of the Victorian Era''.

Etymology and history

''Morbs'' is a slang

abstract noun A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...

that is derived from the adjective ''

morbid A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that ar ...

''. The word ''morbid'' came from the original Latin word , which meant 'sickly', 'diseased' or 'unwholesome'. The word also has roots in the Latin word , which meant 'sorrow', 'grief', or 'distress of the mind'. The phrase appeared in the book ''Passing English of the Victorian Era'' (1909) by

. The book states that the phrase dates from 1880 and defines it: "Temporary melancholia. Abstract noun coined from adjective morbid." The British lexicographer

Susie Dent Susie Dent (born 1964) is an English lexicographer, etymologist, and media personality. She has appeared in "Dictionary Corner" on the Channel 4 game show ''Countdown'' since 1992. She also appears on ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', a post ...

described "having the morbs" as "to sit under a cloud of despondency".

Popular culture

In 2015, the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

-based

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band the Sheila Divine released a full-length album titled ''The Morbs''. An all-girl band in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, named themselves the Morbs after the phrase.

References

External links

*{{wiktionary-inline, morbs Euphemisms Colloquial terms British slang Victorian era

Etymology and history

Popular culture

See also

References

External links