melancholy
n. uncountablen. a feeling of quiet sadness that lasts for a long time. It often happens without a clear reason, like when you are thinking about the past.
n. a deep, pensive, and long-lasting sadness, often without an obvious immediate cause. Frequently associated with a reflective or artistic temperament.
A feeling of melancholy came over him as he watched the rain.
The old photographs filled her with a gentle melancholy for the summers of her childhood.
The composer’s later works are infused with a profound melancholy, reflecting his growing isolation and the somber political climate of the era.
From Middle English malencolie, from Old French melancolie, from Ancient Greek μελαγχολία (melankholía, “atrabiliousness”), from μέλας (mélas), μελαν- (melan-, “black, dark, murky”) + χολή (kholḗ, “bile”). Compare the Latin ātra bīlis (“black bile”). The adjectival use is a Middle English innovation, perhaps influenced by the suffixes -y, -ly. Doublet of melancholia.
Often used with the preposition 'of' or following the verb 'to feel'.