humour
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: medicine
sciences
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".
Inflected forms:
form: humours
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: humor
pos: noun
tags: alternative
US
form: humours
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: humouring
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: humoured
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: humoured
pos: verb
tags: past
form: humor
pos: verb
tags: alternative
US
Senses:
gloss: The quality of being amusing, comical, funny.
pos: noun
tags: UK
uncountable
usually
examples: She has a great sense of humour, and I always laugh a lot whenever we get together.
The sensitive subject was treated with humour, but in such way that no one was offended.
"I gathered that you might not be altogether sorry to see me. So"—with a reassuring laugh—"here I am." A mild amusement at the possible humours of the situation characterised his manner.
Merry VVhitefoord, farevvel! for thy ſake I admit / That a Scot may have humour, I had almoſt ſaid vvit: […]
A great deal of excellent humour was expended on the perplexities of mine host.
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.
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.
gloss: A mood, especially a bad mood; a temporary state of mind or disposition brought upon by an event; an abrupt illogical inclination or whim.
pos: noun
tags: UK
uncountable
usually
examples: He was in a particularly vile humour that afternoon.
I like not the humour of lying.
King James, as he was a Prince of great Judgment, ſo he was a Prince of a marvellous pleaſant humour; […]
Examine how your humour is inclined, / And which the ruling passion of your mind.
Is my friend all perfection, all virtue and discretion? Has he not humours to be endured?
([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.[…]”
gloss: 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.
pos: noun
tags: UK
archaic
historical
uncountable
usually
examples: 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.
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
For some days a fistula lacrymalis had come into my left eye, which discharged an humour, when pressed, that portended danger.
gloss: Either of the two regions of liquid within the eyeball, the aqueous humour and vitreous humour.
pos: noun
tags: UK
uncountable
usually
gloss: Moist vapour, moisture.
pos: noun
tags: UK
obsolete
uncountable
usually
gloss: To pacify by indulging.
pos: verb
tags: UK
transitive
examples: I know you don't believe my story, but humour me for a minute and imagine it to be true.
Related words: humid
humidity
Derived words: dishumour
humoral
humorism
humorist
humorous
humourful
humourise
humourist
humourless
humourous
humoursome
outhumour
anti-humour
aqueous humour
bad humour
black humour
crystalline humour
dark humour
dry humour
gallows humour
glacial humour
good humour
ill humour
millennial humor
out of humour
sense of humour
toilet humour
vitreous humour
Translations: