humour

humour
Humor Hu"mor, n. [OE. humour, OF. humor, umor, F. humeur, L. humor, umor, moisture, fluid, fr. humere, umere, to be moist. See {Humid}.] [Written also {humour}.] 1. Moisture, especially, the moisture or fluid of animal bodies, as the chyle, lymph, etc.; as, the humors of the eye, etc. [1913 Webster]

Note: The ancient physicians believed that there were four humors (the blood, phlegm, yellow bile or choler, and black bile or melancholy), on the relative proportion of which the temperament and health depended. [1913 Webster]

2. (Med.) A vitiated or morbid animal fluid, such as often causes an eruption on the skin. ``A body full of humors.'' --Sir W. Temple. [1913 Webster]

3. State of mind, whether habitual or temporary (as formerly supposed to depend on the character or combination of the fluids of the body); disposition; temper; mood; as, good humor; ill humor. [1913 Webster]

Examine how your humor is inclined, And which the ruling passion of your mind. --Roscommon. [1913 Webster]

A prince of a pleasant humor. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

I like not the humor of lying. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

4. pl. Changing and uncertain states of mind; caprices; freaks; vagaries; whims. [1913 Webster]

Is my friend all perfection, all virtue and discretion? Has he not humors to be endured? --South. [1913 Webster]

5. That quality of the imagination which gives to ideas an incongruous or fantastic turn, and tends to excite laughter or mirth by ludicrous images or representations; a playful fancy; facetiousness. [1913 Webster]

For thy sake I admit That a Scot may have humor, I'd almost said wit. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]

A great deal of excellent humor was expended on the perplexities of mine host. --W. Irving. [1913 Webster]

{Aqueous humor}, {Crystalline humor} or {Crystalline lens}, {Vitreous humor}. (Anat.) See {Eye}.

{Out of humor}, dissatisfied; displeased; in an unpleasant frame of mind.

Syn: Wit; satire; pleasantry; temper; disposition; mood; frame; whim; fancy; caprice. See {Wit}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • HUMOUR — Le concept d’humour, dont le champ d’application s’est considérablement élargi depuis son utilisation dans la littérature anglaise des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, n’a pas pour autant subi de multiples variations sémantiques ni cessé de se rattacher… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • humour — (US humor) ► NOUN 1) the quality of being amusing or comic. 2) a state of mind: her good humour vanished. 3) (also cardinal humour) historical each of four fluids of the body (blood, phlegm, yellow bile or choler, and black bile or melancholy),… …   English terms dictionary

  • humour — chiefly Brit var of HUMOR * * * n. a body fluid. See aqueous humour, vitreous humour …   Medical dictionary

  • humour — n. same as {humor}. [Chiefly Brit.] [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • humour — / hju:mə/, it. / jumor/ s. ingl. [voce di origine normanna, propr. umore ], usato in ital. al masch. [capacità di cogliere gli aspetti comici o paradossali della vita: il caratteristico h. degli inglesi ] ▶◀ arguzia, ironia, sagacia, spirito,… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • humour — chiefly British English spelling of HUMOR (Cf. humor); see OR (Cf. or). Related: Humourous; humourist …   Etymology dictionary

  • humour — /ˈjumor, ingl. ˈhjuːməu(r)/ [ant. fr. (h)umor, dal lat. (h)umōre(m) «umore»] s. m. inv. senso dell umorismo, spirito □ umorismo, comicità …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • humour — is spelt our in BrE and humor in AmE, and the same distinction applies to the derivative humourless / humorless. Humorous and humorist, however, are spelt the same way in both varieties …   Modern English usage

  • humour — [hyo͞o′mər] n., vt. Brit. sp. of HUMOR …   English World dictionary

  • Humour — Sourire peut impliquer un sens d humour et une émotion d amusement, comme le démontre le personnage de Falstaff d Eduard von Grützner. L humour, au sens large, est une forme d esprit railleuse « qui s attache à souligner le caractère …   Wikipédia en Français

  • humour — /hyooh meuhr/, n., v.t., Chiefly Brit. humor. Usage. See or1. * * * I (Latin; fluid ) In early Western physiological theory, one of the four body fluids thought to determine a person s temperament and features. As hypothesized by Galen, the four… …   Universalium

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