humor

See also: Humor, humör, and humør

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /hjuː.mə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhjuːmɚ/, /ˈjuːmɚ/, [ˈçjuːmɚ]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hu‧mor
• Rhymes: -uːmə(ɹ)

Noun

humor (usually uncountable, plural humors)

1. US spelling of humour

   He was in a particularly vile humor that afternoon.

   • 1763, Antoine-Simon Le Page du Pratz, History of Louisiana, PG, page 40:

     For some days a fistula lacrymalis had come into my left eye, which discharged an humour, when pressed, that portended danger.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered her love for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained.

   • 1987, Gerald Ford, “What's So Funny About the Presidency?”, in Humor and the Presidency‎^[1], New York: Arbor House, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 15:

     There are two ways to become an authority on humor. The first way is to be one of the perpetrators. You know them: comedians, satirists, cartoonists, and impersonators. The second way to gain such credentials is to be the victim of their merciless talents. As such a victim, I take a backseat to no one as far as humor is concerned.

Verb

humor (third-person singular simple present humors, present participle humoring, simple past and past participle humored)

1. US spelling of humour

   I know you don't believe my story, but humor me for a minute and imagine it to be true.

Further reading

• Humour on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Humorism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “humor”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “humor”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “humor”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• mohur

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin hūmor, hūmōrem.

Noun

humor m (plural humores)

1. mood (mental state)
2. humour

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin hūmōrem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [uˈmor]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [uˈmo]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [uˈmoɾ]

Noun

humor m or (archaic, regional or poetic) f (plural humors)

1. humour

Derived terms

• humorós

Related terms

• humit

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦumor]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

humor m inan

1. humor (US), humour (UK) (source of amusement)

Declension

Declension of humor (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	humor	humory
genitive	humoru	humorů
dative	humoru	humorům
accusative	humor	humory
vocative	humore	humory
locative	humoru	humorech
instrumental	humorem	humory

Derived terms

• humorista m
• humorný
• smysl pro humor m

 

Further reading

• “humor”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “humor”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Etymology

From Latin (h)ūmor (“fluid”). Doublet of humør (“spirits, mood”). The modern use of this word for mental processes goes back to Ancient and Medieval theories about the four fluids of the body.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /huːmɔr/, [ˈhuːmɐ]

Noun

humor c (singular definite humoren, not used in plural form)

1. humour (amusement and the sense of amusement)

Declension

Declension of humor

common gender	Singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	humor	humoren
genitive	humors	humorens

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English humor (US), from Old French humor (“bodily fluid”), from Latin hūmor. Doublet of humeur (“mood, mental state”).

The meaning of humor as in "a sense of amusement" entered Dutch from the US spelling of humour around ~1839.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɦymɔr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hu‧mor

Noun

humor m (plural humoren or humores)

1. (uncountable) humour (sense of amusement)
2. (countable, archaic or historical) humour (bodily fluid) [from the 15th c.]

Related terms

• humeur
• humoor
• humore
• humoristisch
• humuer

 

Hungarian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin hūmor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈhumor]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hu‧mor
• Rhymes: -or

Noun

humor (plural humorok)

1. humour, humor (the quality of being amusing, comical, or funny)

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	humor	humorok
accusative	humort	humorokat
dative	humornak	humoroknak
instrumental	humorral	humorokkal
causal-final	humorért	humorokért
translative	humorrá	humorokká
terminative	humorig	humorokig
essive-formal	humorként	humorokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	humorban	humorokban
superessive	humoron	humorokon
adessive	humornál	humoroknál
illative	humorba	humorokba
sublative	humorra	humorokra
allative	humorhoz	humorokhoz
elative	humorból	humorokból
delative	humorról	humorokról
ablative	humortól	humoroktól
non-attributive possessive - singular	humoré	humoroké
non-attributive possessive - plural	humoréi	humorokéi

Possessive forms of humor
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	humorom	humoraim
2nd person sing.	humorod	humoraid
3rd person sing.	humora	humorai
1st person plural	humorunk	humoraink
2nd person plural	humorotok	humoraitok
3rd person plural	humoruk	humoraik

Derived terms

• humorizál
• humoros

 

Compound words

• akasztófahumor
• humorérzék

 

Related terms

• humorista

 

Further reading

• humor in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Latin

Etymology 1

Alternative spelling of ūmor found in the later Roman Empire, when the letter h had already become silent. See also the related hūmidus.

Alternative forms

• ūmor

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈhuː.mor/, [ˈhuːmɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.mor/, [ˈuːmor]
• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈuː.mor/, [ˈuːmɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.mor/, [ˈuːmor]

Noun

hūmor m (genitive hūmōris); third declension

1. liquid, fluid, humour

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	hūmor	hūmōrēs
genitive	hūmōris	hūmōrum
dative	hūmōrī	hūmōribus
accusative	hūmōrem	hūmōrēs
ablative	hūmōre	hūmōribus
vocative	hūmor	hūmōrēs

Derived terms

• exhūmōrō
• hūmōrōsus

 

Descendants

• → Asturian: humor
• → Catalan: humor
• → Czech: humor
• → Danish: humor
• → Esperanto: humuro (via descendants)
• → German: Humor (see there for further descendants)
• ⇒ Hebrew: הומור
• → Hungarian: humor
• → Ido: humuro (via descendants)
• Italian: umore
• Ladino: umor
• → Macedonian: хумор (humor)
• → Old Galician-Portuguese: humor, umor
  • Portuguese: humor
• → Old French: humor, humour (less common)
  • French: humeur (see there for further descendants)
  • → Middle Dutch: humuere
    • Dutch: humeur (see there for further descendants)
  • → Middle English: humour, humore, umour, humor, humur, humer
    • English: humour (see there for further descendants)
    • Scots: humour
• → Spanish: humor

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈhu.mor/, [ˈhʊmɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.mor/, [ˈuːmor]

Verb

humor

1. first-person singular present passive indicative of humō

References

• “humor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “humor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Middle English

Noun

humor

1. Alternative form of humour

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin hūmor, via German Humor and English humour or humor.

Noun

humor m (definite singular humoren)

1. humour (UK) or humor (US)

Derived terms

• galgenhumor

References

• “humor” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin hūmor, via German Humor and English humour or humor.

Noun

humor m (definite singular humoren)

1. humor (US) or humour (UK)

Derived terms

• galgenhumor

References

• “humor” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old French

Alternative forms

• humour (less common)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin hūmor, hūmōrem.

Noun

humor m or f

1. humor (one of four fluids that were believed to control the health and mood of the human body)

Descendants

• French: humeur (see there for further descendants)
• → Middle Dutch: humuere
  • Dutch: humeur (see there for further descendants)
• → Middle English: humour, humore, umour, humor, humur, humer
  • English: humour (see there for further descendants)
  • Scots: humour

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin hūmor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxu.mɔr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -umɔr
• Syllabification: hu‧mor

Noun

humor m inan (diminutive humorek, related adjective humorny)

1. (uncountable) humour (ability to see what the funny side of things and make others laugh)
2. (uncountable) humour (quality of being amusing, comical, funny)
3. (uncountable) humour (collection of texts or fragments of texts that entertain or make people laugh)
4. (uncountable) humour, mood (temporary state of mind or disposition brought upon by an event; an abrupt illogical inclination or whim)

   Synonym: nastrój

   czarny humor ― dark humour

   wisielczy humor ― gallows humour

   poczucie humoru ― sense of humour

   1. (uncountable) good mood (mental state characterized by the dominance of positive feelings as a result of the relationship of a person to the surrounding world)
5. (in the plural) humours (mental state that occurs abruptly and without a cause, manifested by mood variation, dissatisfaction, or anger)
6. (countable, historical, medicine) humour (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)

Declension

Declension of humor

	singular	plural
nominative	humor	humory
genitive	humoru	humorów
dative	humorowi	humorom
accusative	humor	humory
instrumental	humorem	humorami
locative	humorze	humorach
vocative	humorze	humory

Derived terms

adjectives

• humoralny
• humorowaty
• humorzasty
• w różowym humorze

 

nouns

• czarny humor
• humor sytuacyjny
• wisielczy humor

 

Related terms

adjectives

• humorystyczny

 

adverbs

• humoralnie
• humorystycznie

 

nouns

• humoreska
• humorysta
• humorystka
• humorystyczność
• humorystyk
• humorystyka
• humoryzm
• humorzysta
• humorzystka

 

Further reading

• humor in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• humory in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• humor in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• humor in PWN's encyclopedia

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese umor, humor, borrowed from Latin hūmōrem (“humour, fluid”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /uˈmoʁ/ [uˈmoh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /uˈmoʁ/ [uˈmoh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /uˈmoɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /uˈmoʁ/ [uˈmoχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /uˈmoɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /uˈmoɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /uˈmoɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /uˈmo.ɾi/

• Rhymes: (Portugal, São Paulo) -oɾ, (Brazil) -oʁ
• Hyphenation: hu‧mor

Noun

humor m (plural humores)

1. mood (mental state)

   Synonyms: disposição, espírito, temperamento

2. humour; bodily fluid
3. (historical) humour (one of the four basic bodily fluids in humourism)

   Hyponyms: bile amarela, bile negra, fleuma, sangue

4. humour (quality of being comical)

   Synonyms: comédia, comicidade, graça

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:humor.

Derived terms

mood

• bom humor
• mau humor

 

bodily fluid

• humor vítreo

 

quality of being comical

• humor negro

 

Related terms

• humorado
• humoral
• humorismo
• humorista
• humorista
• humorístico
• humoroso

 

Romanian

Noun

humor n (plural humoare)

1. Alternative form of umor

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	humor	humorul		humoare	humoarele
genitive-dative	humor	humorului		humoare	humoarelor
vocative	humorule			humoarelor

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from English humor, from Latin hūmor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xǔmor/
• Hyphenation: hu‧mor

Noun

hùmor m (Cyrillic spelling ху̀мор)

1. (uncountable) humor

Declension

Declension of humor

	singular
nominative	humor
genitive	humora
dative	humoru
accusative	humor
vocative	humore
locative	humoru
instrumental	humorom

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin hūmōrem. Cognate with English humor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uˈmoɾ/ [uˈmoɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: hu‧mor

Noun

humor m (plural humores)

1. mood

   estar de buen humor ― to be in a good mood

2. humor

   un sentido del humor ― a sense of humor

Derived terms

• cambio de humor
• humor blanco
• humor de perros
• humor negro
• humorismo
• humorista
• humorístico
• humoroso
• mal humor
• malhumor
• sentido del humor

 

Related terms

• húmedo
• humo

 

Further reading

• “humor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Etymology

Originally from Latin hūmor (“fluid”), having bodily fluids in good balance, as used in humör (“mood, temper”). The joking sense was derived in England in Shakespeare's time and has been used in Swedish since 1812.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

humor c

1. humor

   ha sinne för humor

   have a sense of humor

Declension

Declension of humor

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	humor	humors
	definite	humorn	humorns
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Related terms

• folkhumor
• galghumor
• humorbefriad
• humoresk
• humorfri
• humorfylld
• humorgrupp
• humorinslag
• humorist
• humoristisk
• humorlös
• humorprogram
• humorserie
• kalsonghumor
• underlivshumor

 

References

• humor in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• humor in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• humor in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• humor, humör in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)