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morbs

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: MORBs, MORB, and morbus

English

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Etymology

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Perhaps from morbid,[1] ultimately from Latin morbus (malady (of body or mind), distress).

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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morbs pl (plural only)

  1. (obsolete) Physical or mental illness or infirmity.
  2. (archaic, informal) One who suffers from melancholia or depression.
    • 1919, Bert Williams, quotee, “Keeping up with the new laughs”, in Theatre Magazine, page 346:
      As a whole, New York audiences are the most responsive because they are made up largely of the happy, care-free transients, the human beings who come to New York to laugh. [] They are not wise as the morbs are, they are just happy, and natural and alive.
  3. (archaic, informal, with the) A state of melancholy, sadness, ennui.
    • [1973, Stefan Grossman, Country Blues Songbook, page 16:
      For whatever reasons, an astonishing assortment of English idioms (some dating to Elizabethan times) existed in the nineteenth century to literally give sorrow words: one spoke of the “blackdogs”, the “blue devils”, the “dismals”, the “dumps”, the “hyps”, the “mopes”, the “morbs”, the “mulligrubs”, the “mumps”, the “wiffle-woffles”, the “woefuls”, the “worrits”, and the “vapors”.]
    • 1995, Patricia Harding, A Woman of Africa, page 159:
      ‘Oh Tess,’ giggled Kate, ‘you’re always such a tonic. I’m so glad you’ve come. I’ve got a severe case of the “morbs”.’
    • 2017 November 23, Anna W., “Caption this! Thanksgiving 2017”, in Recollections[2]:
      Maybe i’m not up to dick today. I think I’ll just absquatulate before I get the morbs. Goodbye old chum.

Usage notes

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During the Victorian era to get the morbs was a slang expression meaning to suffer temporarily from melancholy, to be sad or depressed.[1]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Ware, J. Redding (1909) Passing English of the Victorian Era, a Dictionary of Heterodox English, Slang and Phrase[1], page 146

Further reading

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Anagrams

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