humour

American  

[hyoo-mer] / ˈhyu mər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. humor.

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humour British  

/ ˈhjuːmə /

noun

1. the quality of being funny

2. Also called: sense of humour.  the ability to appreciate or express that which is humorous

3. situations, speech, or writings that are thought to be humorous

4. 1. a state of mind; temper; mood

   2. ( in combination )

      ill humour

      good humour

5. temperament or disposition

6. a caprice or whim

7. any of various fluids in the body, esp the aqueous humour and vitreous humour

8. Also called: cardinal humour.  archaic any of the four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, choler or yellow bile, melancholy or black bile) formerly thought to determine emotional and physical disposition

9. in a bad mood

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verb

1. to attempt to gratify; indulge

   he humoured the boy's whims

2. to adapt oneself to

   to humour someone's fantasies

Spelling

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• humourful adjective
• humourless adjective
• humourlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of humour

C14: from Latin humor liquid; related to Latin ūmēre to be wet, Old Norse vökr moist, Greek hugros wet

Example Sentences

In Babies, Steven often uses humour to deflect from what he is really feeling, a coping mechanism that masks the depth of his grief.

From BBC

Fin-Kedinn studied him, and for a moment there was a gleam of humour in his blue eyes.

From Literature

Sir Tony described Woolas as "a greatly respected and admired colleague, and a source of both humour and rich political insight to all lucky enough to know him".

From BBC

"And of course, humour has always been a huge part of living under the daily realities of authoritarianism. Soviet jokes are some of the best jokes. It's just how people cope."

From BBC

For Palestinians living in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, responses to the relentless air raid sirens have tilted towards dark humour.

From Barron's