spleen /splēn/

1. A soft, pulpy, ovoid organ close to the stomach, that produces lymphocytes in the newborn and contains phagocytes which remove worn-out blood cells and other waste matter from the bloodstream, and once thought the seat of anger and melancholy
2. Hence various meanings (mostly Shakespeare and obsolete) such as spite, boredom, ill-humour, melancholy, mirth, caprice, impulse, high spirit

spleenˈful adjective

spleenˈish adjective

spleenˈless adjective

spleenˈy adjective (Shakespeare)

splēˈnative adjective (obsolete)

Hot-tempered

splenecˈtomy /splin-/ noun

(Gr ek out, and tomē a cutting) surgical excision of the spleen

splenetic /splin-etˈik (formerly splēnˈi-tik/) adjective

1. Of the spleen
2. Affected with spleen
3. Bad-tempered, irritable or irritated, peevish
4. Melancholy

A splenetic person

splenetˈical adjective

splenetˈically adverb

splenic /splēˈnik or splenˈ/ adjective

Of the spleen

splenīˈtis /splin-/ noun

Inflammation of the spleen

splēnīzāˈtion or splēnīsāˈtion noun

Conversion (eg of the lung) into a spongy, spleenlike substance

• decolourise
• decolourization
• decolourize
• decolours
• decommission
• decommissioned
• decommissioner
• decommissioners
• decommissioning
• decommissions
• decompensation
• decomplex
• decomposabilities
• decomposability
• decomposable
• decompose
• decomposed
• decomposer
• decomposers
• decomposes
• decomposing
• decomposite
• decomposition
• decompositions
• decompound