humor — the quality of being amusing or comic; a person's state of mind
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the quality of being amusing or comic; a person's state of mind
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈhjuːmər/
Example Sentences
- His humor always brightens up the office meetings.
- I tried to humor my grumpy cat by giving it treats, but it just walked away.
- The comedian's British humor was too dry for some audience members.
humor
NOUN[/ˈhjuːmər/]
the quality of being amusing or comic; a person's state of mind
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Humor originates from Medieval Latin 'humor,' meaning 'bodily fluid.' In ancient and medieval medicine, human temperament was believed to depend on the balance of four bodily humors, which gradually evolved to signify 'mood' or 'disposition,' and eventually developed into the modern sense of 'comedy' or 'wit.'
Breakdown
The word evolved through semantic shift: humor (bodily fluid) → temperament/disposition → mood → comedy/wit. The morphological root remains Latin 'humor' (moisture, fluid), with meaning transformation driven by medieval medical theory associating bodily fluids with personality and emotional states.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“His humor always brightens up the office meetings.”
“I tried to humor my grumpy cat by giving it treats, but it just walked away.”
“The comedian's British humor was too dry for some audience members.”
“My dad's humor is so bad that even the dad jokes cry.”
📚Related Words
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