humour
|hu-mour|
🇺🇸
/ˈhjuːmər/
🇬🇧
/ˈhjuːmə/
mood; comic quality
Etymology
'humour' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'humor', where 'humor' meant 'moisture, fluid'.
'humour' passed into English via Old French 'humeur' and Middle English 'humour', itself from Latin 'humorem' (accusative of 'humor').
Initially, it meant 'a bodily fluid' (literal moisture); over time it broadened to mean 'a person's temperament or mood' and later 'the quality of being amusing' (comic sense).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality of being amusing or comical; the ability to make people laugh.
Her humour lightened the mood in the meeting.
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Noun 2
a person's state of mind at a particular time; temper or mood.
He woke up in a bad humour.
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Noun 3
any of the bodily fluids once thought (in ancient and medieval physiology) to determine a person's temperament (the 'four humours').
Medieval medicine assigned disease to imbalances of the humours.
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Verb 1
to comply with or indulge (someone) by doing what they want, often to avoid upsetting them.
I humoured him and agreed to his suggestion.
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Last updated: 2025/11/02 16:30