History:Got the morbs
"Got the morbs" is a slang phrase or euphemism used in the Victorian era. The phrase describes a person afflicted with temporary melancholy or sadness. The term was defined in James Redding Ware's 1909 book Passing English of the Victorian Era.
Etymology and history
Morbs is a slang abstract noun that is derived from the adjective morbid.[1] The word morbid came from the original Latin word morbidus, which meant 'sickly', 'diseased' or 'unwholesome'.[2] The word also has roots in the Latin word morbus, which meant 'sorrow', 'grief', or 'distress of the mind'.[3] The phrase appeared in the book Passing English of the Victorian Era (1909) by James Redding Ware.[1] 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 described "having the morbs" as "to sit under a cloud of despondency".[4]
Popular culture
In 2015, the Boston-based indie rock band the Sheila Divine released a full-length album titled The Morbs.[5] An all-girl band in Lincoln, Nebraska, named themselves the Morbs after the phrase.[6]
See also
- Depression in childhood and adolescence
- Depression (mood)
- Existential crisis
- Feeling
- Melancholia
- Mixed anxiety–depressive disorder
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ware, J. Redding (1909). Passing English of the Victorian Era: a dictionary of heterodox English, slang and phrase. London: George Routledge & Sons Limited. p. 146. https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/a-dictionary-of-victorian-slang-1909. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ↑ Smith, C. J. (October 19, 2022). Synonyms Discriminated. Frankfurt, Germany: Outlook Verlag. p. 459. ISBN 9783368127015. https://books.google.com/books?id=vQqWEAAAQBAJ&dq=morbid+came+from+the+original+Latin+word+morbidus&pg=PA459. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ↑ Bartlett, Gary Norton (1996). Translations and Translation Principles in the Old English and Old High German Versions of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae". Minneapolis, Wisconsin: University of Minnesota. p. 165. https://books.google.com/books?id=tRk3aah0YskC&q=morbus,+meaning+sorrow,+grief,+and+distress. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ↑ Dent, Susie (1 September 2022). "From jubbity to mubble fubbles, anxiety is well catered for in the historical dictionary". Associated Newspapers Limited. https://inews.co.uk/opinion/anxiety-historical-dictionary-jubbity-mubble-fubbles-1825501.
- ↑ Marotta, Michael (25 November 2015). "The Sheila Divine Are Back with New Album The Morbs". Boston Magazine. Metro Corp.. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2015/11/25/sheila-divine-morbs-record-release/.
- ↑ Harazin, Jennifer (14 March 2016). "Harazin: Local band The Morbs embrace tight-knit music scene". The Daily Nebraskan. https://www.dailynebraskan.com/culture/harazin-local-band-the-morbs-embrace-tight-knit-music-scene/article_1d60389a-e998-11e5-a22f-6b64e625a0ea.html.
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