| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| sanguine, sanguinary (adjs.) |
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| The Latin sanguis, “blood,” is behind both of these, but their meanings differ sharply. The medieval sanguine humor was dominated by the blood; hence a sanguine person was red-cheeked, vigorous, and cheerful, and so sanguine came to mean “cheerful, optimistic, confident.” Sanguinary, however, means “bloody, bloodthirsty, or bloodstained” and by extension “grim, cruel, murderous.” | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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