humoral

adjective

hu·​mor·​al ˈhyü-mə-rəl 

ˈyü-

1

: of, relating to, proceeding from, or involving a bodily humor (such as a hormone)

2

: relating to or being the part of immunity or the immune response that involves antibodies secreted by B cells and circulating in bodily fluids

Examples of humoral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This versatility becomes even more interesting in light of humoral theory, which explains illness as an imbalance of hot, cold, wet, or dry qualities in the body, treated through plants of the opposite nature. —Demir Alp, JSTOR Daily, 29 Aug. 2025

Perhaps humoral theory was the best that scientific consensus could do at the time. —Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

Hair was, instead, discharge: like semen, breastmilk, vomit, and urine, hair was a form of waste matter excreted by the humoral body. —Literary Hub, 9 June 2025

For nearly two thousand years, the body's physical health was based on humoral theory, a belief that heavily influenced both Western and Eastern medicine. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023

B cells, also known as humoral cells, are a type of immune cell that make antibodies and are made in the bone marrow. —Tasnim Ahmed, CNN, 10 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for humoral

• humeral
• numeral
• glenohumeral

Medical Definition

humoral

adjective

hu·​mor·​al ˈ(h)yüm-(ə-)rəl 

1

: of, relating to, proceeding from, or involving a bodily humor (as a hormone)

humoral control of sugar metabolism

2

: relating to or being the part of immunity or the immune response that involves antibodies secreted by B cells and circulating in bodily fluids

humoral immunity

humoral immune response

humoral system of immunity

compare cell-mediated