humour
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humour
- /ˈhjuː.mə(ɹ)/ UK
- /ˈhjuːmɚ/ US
- /ˈjuːmɚ/ US
Rhymes with -uːmə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
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".
noun humours · humor
-
The quality of being amusing, comical, funny.
She has a great sense of humour, and I always laugh a lot whenever we get together.
Similar: amusingness, comedy, comicality, wit, witticism
-
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.
Similar: mood
-
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.
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.
Similar: bodily fluid
- Either of the two regions of liquid within the eyeball, the aqueous humour and vitreous humour.
- Moist vapour, moisture.
verb humours · humouring · humoured · humor
- To pacify by indulging. I know you don't believe my story, but humour me for a minute and imagine it to be true.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: humor, witticism, wittiness, temper, mood, wit, funny, joke, humorous, fun, whim, comic, cheer, sentiment, irony, comedy
Translations
Every language
noun wit
| Español | humor, gracia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 유머 yumeo, 해학 haehak |
| 日本語 | ユーモア yūmoa, 諧謔 kaigyaku, 滑稽さ |
| 中文 | 幽默 yōumò, 諧謔 /谐谑 xiéxuè, xiénüè |
| Português | humor |
| Français | humour |
| Deutsch | Humor |
| Italiano | humour, umorismo |
| Ελληνικά | χιούμορ chioúmor |
| Română | umor |
| Русский | ю́мор júmor |
| Tiếng Việt | sự hài hước |
| العربية | فُكَاهَة fukāha, دُعَابَة duʕāba |
| עברית | הוּמוֹר humór |
noun mood
| Español | humor |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 기분 gibun |
| 日本語 | 気分 kibun, 気持ち kimochi |
| 中文 | 心情 xīnqíng |
| Português | humor |
| Français | humeur, disposition |
| Deutsch | Laune, Humor, Stimmung |
| Italiano | umore |
| Русский | настрое́ние nastrojénije |
| العربية | مِزَاج mizāj |
noun historical: any of the four cardinal humors
| Español | humor, aguadija |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 體液 /体液 tǐyè |
| Français | humeur |
| Deutsch | Körpersaft, Saft |
| Русский | гумор gumor |
| العربية | خِلْط ḵilṭ, أَخْلَاط ʔaḵlāṭ |
verb to pacify by indulging
| Español | seguir la corriente, hacer el favor |
|---|---|
| Français | amadouer |
| Deutsch | jemandem seinen Willen lassen, besänftigen |
| Italiano | accontentare, assecondare |
| Русский | угожда́ть ugoždátʹ, ублажа́ть ublažátʹ |
Talk about this word "humour." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/humour. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. humour. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/humour "humour." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/humour.Cite this
@misc{humour_2026,
title = {humour},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/humour},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
