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humour |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Idioms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.04 sec. |
humour(Latin; “fluid”) In early Western physiological theory, one of the four body fluids thought to determine a person's temperament and features. As hypothesized by Galen, the four cardinal humours were blood, phlegm, choler (yellow bile), and melancholy (black bile). The variant mixture of these humours in each person determined his “complexion” or temperament and his mental and physical qualities. The ideal person had the perfectly proportioned mixture of the four fluids; a disproportionate amount of one humour created a personality dominated by one set of related emotions (e.g., a choleric man was easily angered, proud, ambitious, and vengeful). humour (US), humor 1. any of various fluids in the body, esp the aqueous humour and vitreous humour 2. Archaic any of the four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, choler or yellow bile, melancholy or black bile) formerly thought to determine emotional and physical disposition
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Before the war, Dawson had been a mathematics instructor at Royal Military College (Kingston) and, as the sobriquet "Dismal Dawson" would suggest, was humourless officer, and very, very strict. SIR: Oh capricious editors: How could I have guessed you were itching to denounce 'the humourless aridities of Le Havre'? Quite the contrary, both probably appreciated from the start the damage it would do their reputations with the king who could be guaranteed to take a rather humourless view of his servants brawling" (1995, 247). |
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