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Choleric is a temperament in the ancient medical theory of the four humours. It corresponds to the fluid of yellow bile, the season of winter, and the element of water. A person who is choleric is easily angered or bad tempered.
In folk medicine, a baby referred to as "cholic" is one who cries frequently and seems to be constantly angry. This is an adaptation of "choleric," although no one now would attribute the condition to bile. Similarly, a person described as "bilious" is mean-spirited, suspicious, and angry. This, again, is an adaptation of the old Humor theory "choleric."
The disease Cholera likely gained its name from the temperament.
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