morbs

See also: MORBs, MORB, and morbus

English

Etymology

Perhaps from morbid, ultimately from Latin morbus (“malady (of body or mind), distress”).

Noun

morbs pl (plural only)

1. (obsolete) Physical or mental illness or infirmity.
   • a. 1673, Blasius Multibibus (Richard Brathwait), The Smoaking Age or The Life and Death of Tobacco, page 103:

     […] and what herbes or plants soever were preservative against the Scotoma, Oedema, Lithiasis, Paralysis, Celphalgia, Lycanthropia; all diseases, Ulcers, Morbs or Contagions wheresoever or howsoever arising […]

   • 1694 [c. 1553], François Rabelais, translated by Peter Anthony Motteux, Pantagruel, page 251:

     For in veracity these Times denote
     Morbs to the Sane, and Obits to th' Aegrote;
     And alterate the suavest Pulchritude
     To the Complection of its native Mud.

2. (archaic, informal) One who suffers from melancholia or depression.
   • 1919, Bert Williams, quotee, “Keeping up with the new laughs”, in Theatre Magazine, page 346:

     As a whole, New York audiences are the most responsive because they are made up largely of the happy, care-free transients, the human beings who come to New York to laugh. […] They are not wise as the morbs are, they are just happy, and natural and alive.

3. (archaic, informal, with the) A state of melancholy, sadness, ennui.
   • [1973, Stefan Grossman, Country Blues Songbook, page 16:

     For whatever reasons, an astonishing assortment of English idioms (some dating to Elizabethan times) existed in the nineteenth century to literally give sorrow words: one spoke of the “blackdogs”, the “blue devils”, the “dismals”, the “dumps”, the “hyps”, the “mopes”, the “morbs”, the “mulligrubs”, the “mumps”, the “wiffle-woffles”, the “woefuls”, the “worrits”, and the “vapors”.]

   • 1995, Patricia Harding, A Woman of Africa, page 159:

     ‘Oh Tess,’ giggled Kate, ‘you’re always such a tonic. I’m so glad you’ve come. I’ve got a severe case of the “morbs”.’

   • 2017 November 23, Anna W., “Caption this! Thanksgiving 2017”, in Recollections‎^[2]:

     Maybe i’m not up to dick today. I think I’ll just absquatulate before I get the morbs. Goodbye old chum.

Usage notes

During the Victorian era to get the morbs was a slang expression meaning to suffer temporarily from melancholy, to be sad or depressed.