Bile is a bitter, yellowish-green fluid that your liver makes to help digest food, especially fats. After your liver produces bile, it is stored in your gallbladder until you eat. Then bile flows into your small intestine, where it helps break down the fats in your food so your body can absorb them. Without bile, you couldn't properly digest a cheeseburger, a slice of pizza, or even a pat of butter on your toast.

The word also describes a bitter, angry mood. When someone is full of bile, they're feeling hostile and irritable, ready to say mean things. You might read in a story about a character “spewing bile” when they're unleashing angry criticism, or a “bilious” speech filled with bitter complaints.

The connection between the two meanings makes sense: both involve something bitter. The digestive fluid tastes bitter, and the emotion feels bitter too.