1. Jaundice, or a medical condition, in which there is yellowing of the whites of the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes, caused by bile pigments in the blood.

It is a symptom of liver diseases; such as, hepatitis and cirrhosis, or of a blocked bile duct, and sometimes occurs temporarily in new-born babies whose livers are slightly immature.

Jaundice is not a disease but rather a sign that can occur in many different diseases. Jaundice is the yellowish staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) that is caused by high levels in blood of the chemical bilirubin (yellow-orange compound produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells).

The color of the skin and sclerae vary depending on the level of bilirubin. When the bilirubin level is mildly elevated, they are yellowish. When the bilirubin level is high, they tend to be brown.

2. Etymology: both icterus and jaundice come from Greek while icterus is a Latinized (-us) form of the Greek word ikteros and to the ancient Greeks signified both "jaundice" and "a yellow bird." It was thought that jaundice could be cured if the patient gazed at the bird then supposedly, the disease would transmigrate from the jaundiced patient to the hapless bird.

2. An attitude that is characterized by cynical hostility, resentment, or suspicion.

Icterus which can be accentuated by many factors including excessive haemolysis, sepsis, neonatal hepatitis, or congenital atresia of the biliary system.