humour
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈhjuː.mə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈhjuːmɚ/
ipa: /ˈjuːmɚ/
rhymes: -uːmə(ɹ)
Forms: form: humours
form: humor
Etymology: From Middle English humour, from Old French humor, humour, from Latin hūmor, correctly ūmor (“liquid”), from hūmeō, correctly ūmeō (“to be moist”). The h in these words, which was silent in late Classical Latin, is folk etymological, due to the erroneous association with the word humus (“soil”).
The shift in meaning "liquid" > "mood" is attributed to the classical system of physiology, where human behaviour is regulated by four bodily humours (fluids). The sense "mood" gave rise to the verb sense "to give in to someone's mood or whim" and, by narrowing of meaning, the sense "wit".
Senses: examples: text: She has a great sense of humour, and I always laugh a lot whenever we get together.
text: The sensitive subject was treated with humour, but in such way that no one was offended.
text: Merry VVhitefoord, farevvel! for thy ſake I admit / That a Scot may have humour, I had almoſt ſaid vvit: […]
ref: 1774, [Oliver] Goldsmith, “Postscript”, in Retaliation: A Poem. […], 5th edition, London: […] G[eorge] Kearsly, […], →OCLC, page 22:
text: A great deal of excellent humour was expended on the perplexities of mine host.
ref: 1824, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], Tales of a Traveller, (please specify |part=1 to 4), Philadelphia, Pa.: H[enry] C[harles] Carey & I[saac] Lea, […], →OCLC:
text: They stayed together during three dances, went out on to the terrace, explored wherever they were permitted to explore, paid two visits to the buffet, and enjoyed themselves much in the same way as if they had been school-children surreptitiously breaking loose from an assembly of grown-ups. The boy became volubly friendly and bubbling over with unexpected humour and high spirits.
ref: 1909, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], “A Court Ball”, in The Squire’s Daughter, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, published 1919, →OCLC, page 9:
text: Charles had not been employed above six months at Darracott Place, but he was not such a whopstraw as to make the least noise in the performance of his duties when his lordship was out of humour.
ref: 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
synonyms: amusingness
comedy
comicality
wit
glosses: The quality of being amusing, comical, funny.
examples: text: He was in a particularly vile humour that afternoon.
text: I like not the humour of lying.
ref: c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
text: King James, as he was a Prince of great Judgment, ſo he was a Prince of a marvellous pleaſant humour; […]
ref: a. 1627 (date written), Francis Bacon, “[Baconiana Politico-Moralia. […].] Certain Apothegms of the Lord Bacon’s, hitherto Unpublished. [Apophthegm 10.]”, in [Thomas Tenison], editor, Baconiana. Or Certain Genuine Remains of Sr. Francis Bacon, […], London: […] J. D. for Richard Chiswell, […], published 1679, →OCLC, page 55:
text: Examine how your humour is inclined, / And which the ruling passion of your mind.
ref: 1684, Lord Roscommon, Essay on Translated Verse:
text: Is my friend all perfection, all virtue and discretion? Has he not humours to be endured?
ref: 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
text: ([I]t was the town's humour to be always gassing of phantom investors who were likely to come any moment and pay a thousand prices for everything)—“[…]Them rich fellers, they don't make no bad breaks with their money.[…]”
ref: 1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock:
synonyms: mood
glosses: A mood, especially a bad mood; a temporary state of mind or disposition brought upon by an event; an abrupt illogical inclination or whim.
examples: text: A humour is a liquid or fluent part of the body, comprehended in it, for the preservation of it; and is either innate or born with us, or adventitious and acquisite.
ref: 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
text: The cause is a temperate conglutination ; for both bodies are clammy and viscous , and do bridle the deflux of humours to the hurts , without penning them in too much
ref: 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “VII. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
text: For some days a fistula lacrymalis had come into my left eye, which discharged an humour, when pressed, that portended danger.
ref: 1763, Antoine-Simon Le Page du Pratz, History of Louisisana (PG), (tr. 1774) page 42
synonyms: bodily fluid
glosses: Any of the fluids in an animal body, especially the four "cardinal humours" of blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm that were believed to control the health and mood of the human body.
topics: medicine
sciences
glosses: Either of the two regions of liquid within the eyeball, the aqueous humour and vitreous humour.
glosses: Moist vapour, moisture.
Synonyms: sense: something funny
word: comedy
sense: something funny
word: wit
sense: something funny
word: witticism
Derived terms: word: dishumour
word: humoral
word: humorism
word: humorist
word: humorous
word: humourful
word: humourise
word: humourist
word: humourless
word: humourous
word: humoursome
word: outhumour
sense: Expressions
word: anti-humour
sense: Expressions
word: aqueous humour
sense: Expressions
word: bad humour
sense: Expressions
word: black humour
sense: Expressions
word: crystalline humour
sense: Expressions
word: dark humour
sense: Expressions
word: dry humour
sense: Expressions
word: gallows humour
sense: Expressions
word: glacial humour
sense: Expressions
word: good humour
sense: Expressions
word: ill humour
sense: Expressions
word: out of humour
sense: Expressions
word: sense of humour
sense: Expressions
word: toilet humour
sense: Expressions
word: vitreous humour
Related terms: humid
humidity