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Wiktionary

humour

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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".[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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

  1. (uncountable) The quality of being amusing, comical, funny. [from the early 18th c.]
    Synonyms: amusingness, comedy, comicality, wit
    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.
    • 1774, [Oliver] Goldsmith, “Postscript”, in Retaliation: A Poem. […], 5th edition, London: […] G[eorge] Kearsly, […], →OCLC, page 22:
      Merry VVhitefoord, farevvel! for thy ſake I admit / That a Scot may have humour, I had almoſt ſaid vvit: […]
    • 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:
      A great deal of excellent humour was expended on the perplexities of mine host.
    • 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:
      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.
  3. (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.
    Synonym: mood
    He was in a particularly vile humour that afternoon.
    • 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]:
      I like not the humour of lying.
    • 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:
      King James, as he was a Prince of great Judgment, ſo he was a Prince of a marvellous pleaſant humour; […]
    • 1684, Lord Roscommon, Essay on Translated Verse:
      Examine how your humour is inclined, / And which the ruling passion of your mind.
    • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
      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:
      ([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. […]”
  4. (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.
    Synonym: bodily fluid
    • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
      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.
  5. (medicine) Either of the two regions of liquid within the eyeball, the aqueous humour and vitreous humour.
  6. (obsolete) Moist vapour, moisture.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Expressions
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Descendants

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

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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

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “humour”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

French

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Etymology

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English humour, itself from Old French humor, humour. Doublet of humeur.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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humour m (plural humours)

  1. humor; comic effect in a communication or performance
    Il n’a aucun sens de l’humour.
    He doesn't have any sense of humor.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Further reading

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Italian

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English humour. Doublet of umore.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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humour m (invariable)

  1. sense of humour/humor

References

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  1. ^ humour in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Further reading

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

Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old French humor, from Latin hūmor, ūmor.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /iu̯ˈmuːr/, /ˈiu̯mur/

Noun

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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

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References

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See also

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Old French

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Noun

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humour m or f

  1. (Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of humor
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