humor

n. [ OE. humour, OF. humor, umor, F. humeur, L. humor, umor, moisture, fluid, fr. humere, umere, to be moist. See Humid. ] [ Written also humour. ] 1. Moisture, especially, the moisture or fluid of animal bodies, as the chyle, lymph, etc.; as, the humors of the eye, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The ancient physicians believed that there were four humors (the blood, phlegm, yellow bile or choler, and black bile or melancholy), on the relative proportion of which the temperament and health depended. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) A vitiated or morbid animal fluid, such as often causes an eruption on the skin. “A body full of humors.” Sir W. Temple. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. State of mind, whether habitual or temporary (as formerly supposed to depend on the character or combination of the fluids of the body); disposition; temper; mood; as, good humor; ill humor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Examine how your humor is inclined,
And which the ruling passion of your mind. Roscommon. [ 1913 Webster ]

A prince of a pleasant humor. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

I like not the humor of lying. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. pl. Changing and uncertain states of mind; caprices; freaks; vagaries; whims. [ 1913 Webster ]

Is my friend all perfection, all virtue and discretion? Has he not humors to be endured? South. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. That quality of the imagination which gives to ideas an incongruous or fantastic turn, and tends to excite laughter or mirth by ludicrous images or representations; a playful fancy; facetiousness. [ 1913 Webster ]

For thy sake I admit
That a Scot may have humor, I'd almost said wit. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

A great deal of excellent humor was expended on the perplexities of mine host. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

Aqueous humor,
Crystalline humor or
Crystalline lens,
Vitreous humor. (Anat.) See Eye. --
Out of humor, dissatisfied; displeased; in an unpleasant frame of mind.

Syn. -- Wit; satire; pleasantry; temper; disposition; mood; frame; whim; fancy; caprice. See Wit. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. humoral. ] Pertaining to, or proceeding from, the humors; as, a humoral fever. [ 1913 Webster ]

Humoral pathology (Med.), the pathology, or doctrine of the nature of diseases, which attributes all morbid phenomena to the disordered condition of the fluids or humors of the body. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Med.) The state or quality of being humoral. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) The doctrine that diseases proceed from the humors; humorism. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who favors the humoral pathology or believes in humoralism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Med.) The theory founded on the influence which the humors were supposed to have in the production of disease; Galenism. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The manner or disposition of a humorist; humorousness. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. humoriste. ] 1. (Med.) One who attributes diseases of the state of the humors. [ archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who has some peculiarity or eccentricity of character, which he indulges in odd or whimsical ways. [ 1913 Webster ]

He [ Roger de Coverley ] . . . was a great humorist in all parts of his life. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who displays humor in speaking or writing; one who has a facetious fancy or genius; a wag; a droll; especially, one who writes or tells jokes as a profession. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

The reputation of wits and humorists. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a humorist. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To humor. Marston. [ 1913 Webster ]