humor

Main Entry:: ¹hu·mor
Pronunciation:: \ˈhyü-mər, ˈyü-\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English humour, from Anglo-French umor, umour, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin humor, from Latin humor, umor moisture; akin to Old Norse vǫkr damp, Latin humēre to be moist, and perhaps to Greek hygros wet
Date:: 14th century

1 a: a normal functioning bodily semifluid or fluid (as the blood or lymph) b: a secretion (as a hormone) that is an excitant of activity2 ain medieval physiology : a fluid or juice of an animal or plant ; specifically : one of the four fluids entering into the constitution of the body and determining by their relative proportions a person's health and temperament b: characteristic or habitual disposition or bent : temperament <of cheerful humor> c: an often temporary state of mind imposed especially by circumstances <was in no humor to listen> d: a sudden, unpredictable, or unreasoning inclination : whim <the uncertain humors of nature>3 a: that quality which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous b: the mental faculty of discovering, expressing, or appreciating the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous c: something that is or is designed to be comical or amusing

synonyms see wit

— out of humor

: out of sorts

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