Meaning of humor | Babel Free

Definitions

1. mood (a mental or emotional state)
2. US spelling of humour.
   US, alt-of, uncountable, usually
3. In a bad mood; irritable.
4. out of humor, dissatisfied; cross.
5. One of the four fluids of the body—blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile—whose relative proportions were thought in ancient and medieval medicine to determine general health and character.
6. a concise witticism or well-turned phrase. — Atticist, n.
7. the condition or quality of being biting or caustic, as humor, speech, etc. See also speech. — mordant, adj.
8. trifles or trivia, especially light verses or sayings.
9. the habit of dealing with serious matters in a spirit of good and sometimes cynical good humor. [Allusion to Rabelais’ satirical novels Gargantua (1534) and Pantagruel (1532), especially to the behavior of Pantagruel, Gargantua’s huge son.] — Pantagruelian, adj.
   Gargantua
10. a humorous performance at the piano, sometimes with a verbal accompaniment by the performer.
11. the personality or character of Rabelais, as in the use of coarse, satirical humor. Also Rabelaisianism.
12. a person skilled in the exchange of witticisms.

Equivalents

Examples

“He was in a particularly vile humor that afternoon.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

CEFR level