humour

The story

1. Latin · derived fromhūmor
2. Old French · derived fromhumor
3. Middle English · inherited fromhumour
4. English todayhumour

From Middle English humour, from Old French humor, humour, from Latin hūmor, correctly ūmor (“liquid”), from hūmeō, correctly ūmeō (“to be moist”). The h in these words, which was silent in late Classical Latin, is folk etymological, due to the erroneous association with the word humus (“soil”). The shift in meaning "liquid" > "mood" is attributed to the classical system of physiology, where human behaviour is regulated by four bodily humours (fluids). The sense "mood" gave rise to the verb sense "to give in to someone's mood or whim" and, by narrowing of meaning, the sense "wit".

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from the early 18th c. The quality of being amusing, comical, funny.