Got the morbs
Victorian slang phrase describing sadness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"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]
