humour

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English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English humour, from Old French humor, from Latin humor, correctly umor (“moisture”), from humere, correctly umere (“to be moist”).

Pronunciation

Noun

humour (usually uncountable, plural humours) (British spelling)

  1. (uncountable) The quality of being amusing, comical, funny. [from the early 18th c.]
    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.
    • (Can we date this quote by Oliver Goldsmith and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      For thy sake I admit / That a Scot may have humour, I'd almost said wit.
    • (Can we date this quote by Washington Irving and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      A great deal of excellent humour was expended on the perplexities of mine host.
    • Template:RQ:Mrxl SqrsDghtr
      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.
    • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
      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.
    Synonyms: amusingness, comedy, comicality, wit
  2. (uncountable) A mood, especially a bad mood; a temporary state of mind or disposition brought upon by an event; an abrupt illogical inclination or whim.
    He was in a particularly vile humour that afternoon.
    • (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      a prince of a pleasant humour
    • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      I like not the humour of lying.
    • The template Template:rfdatek does not use the parameter(s): 
      3=Lord Roscommon
      Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.      (Can we date this quote by Wentworth Dillon, 4th Earl of Roscommon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Examine how your humour is inclined, / And which the ruling passion of your mind.
    • (Can we date this quote by Robert South and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Is my friend all perfection, all virtue and discretion? Has he not humours to be endured?
    • 1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock:
      […] (it 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. […]”
    Synonym: mood
  3. (archaic or historical) 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.
    • Template:RQ:RBrtn AntmyMlncly, Book I, New York 2001,page 147:
      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.
    • 1763, Antoine-Simon Le Page Du Pratz, History of Louisisana (PG), (tr. 1774) page 42:
      For some days a fistula lacrymalis had come into my left eye, which discharged an humour, when pressed, that portended danger.
    Synonym: bodily fluid
  4. (medicine) Either of the two regions of liquid within the eyeball, the aqueous humour and vitreous humour.
  5. (obsolete) Moist vapour, moisture.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Template:ttbc-top

Verb

humour (third-person singular simple present humours, present participle humouring, simple past and past participle humoured)

  1. (transitive) To pacify by indulging.
    I know you don't believe my story, but humour me for a minute and imagine it to be true.

Translations

See also

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English humour. Doublet of humeur.

Pronunciation

Noun

humour m (plural humours)

  1. humor; comic effect in a communication or performance.

Related terms

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

From English humour.

Noun

humour m (uncountable)

  1. sense of humour

Further reading

  • humour in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French humor, from Latin hūmor, ūmor.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /iu̯ˈmuːr/, /ˈiu̯mur/

Noun

humour (plural humours)

  1. A "cardinal humour" (four liquids believed to affect health and mood)
  2. A bodily liquid or substance that causes disease or affliction.
  3. A bodily liquid or substance that is caused by disease.
  4. One of the two (usually reckoned as three or four) fluidous portions of the eye.
  5. Any fluid; something which flows or moves in a fluidous manner:
    1. The liquid contained within a plant; plant juices.
    2. (rare) A liquid of the human body (e.g. blood)
  6. A mist or gas; a substance dissipated in the air.
  7. (rare) One of the four classical elements (fire, earth, air, and water).

Descendants

  • English: humour, humor
  • Scots: humour

References

See also

Old French

Noun

humour m or f

  1. (Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of humor
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