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Woe vs Melancholia - What's the difference?

woe | melancholia |

As nouns the difference between woe and melancholia

is that woe is grief; sorrow; misery; heavy calamity while melancholia is deep sadness or gloom; melancholy.

As an adjective woe

is (obsolete) woeful; sorrowful.

woe

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • grief; sorrow; misery; heavy calamity.
  • * Milton
    • Thus saying, from her side the fatal key, / Sad instrument of all our woe , she took.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • [They] weep each other's woe .
  • A curse; a malediction.
  • * South
    • Can there be a woe or curse in all the stores of vengeance equal to the malignity of such a practice?

    Derived terms

    * in weal or woe * woeful * woe is me

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) woeful; sorrowful
  • * Robert of Brunne
    • His clerk was woe to do that deed.
  • * Chaucer
    • Woe was this knight and sorrowfully he sighed.
  • * Spenser
    • And looking up he waxed wondrous woe .

    Anagrams

    *

    melancholia

    English

    Noun

  • Deep sadness or gloom; melancholy
  • Clinical depression, characterised by irrational fears, guilt and apathy

    • Derived terms

    * melancholiac

    Related terms

    *melancholy *melancholic