humour

[ hyoo-mer ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

1. humor.

humour

/ ˈhjuːmə /

noun

1. the quality of being funny
2. Also calledsense 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 )

      good humour

      ill 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. archaic.
   Also calledcardinal humour 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. out of humour
   in a bad mood

verb

1. to attempt to gratify; indulge

   he humoured the boy's whims

2. to adapt oneself to

   to humour someone's fantasies

Spelling Note

See -or ¹.

Derived Forms

• ˈhumourless, adjective
• ˈhumourful, adjective
• ˈhumourlessness, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of humour¹

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

Example Sentences

In an emotional tribute, the UUP politician said Mr Reid had faced his illness “with his usual good humour”.

From BBC

Americans can get offended very easily sometimes, where it’s just standard British humour, isn’t it?

From BBC

The BBFC's latest annual report said the rating was changed because of "violence and threat" in the film, despite this being "offset by humour and an emphasis on loyalty in adversity".

From BBC

Seattle Times’ late disabled critic Jeff Shannon described Timmy as the most “progressive, provocative and socially relevant disability humour ever presented on American television”.

From BBC

He retained a sense of humour about the incident, later entitling his memoir 'Here Today, Gone Tomorrow'.

From BBC