Middle English Dictionary Entry

hūmǒur n.
Quotations: Show all Hide all

Entry Info

Forms hūmǒur n. Also umour, h)umor, humur, h)umer & hom(o)ur & imur & emour. Pl. hūmǒur(e)s, etc. & hūmerous.
Etymology L h)ūmor & OF umor, humeur, homur.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1.
(a) Any liquid or flowing substance; moisture in the soil, water, milk, honey, etc.; (b) the juice of a plant, sap; radical ~, moisture of the root; seminal ~, moisture which produces seed; (c) a bodily fluid; urine; seminal fluid (succus prostaticus).
Show 20 Quotations
2.
(a) An exhalation, vapor, smoke; ?also, heat; (b) poisonous exhalation in the air which causes plague.
Show 6 Quotations
3.
Anat. (a) One of four fluids (blood, phlegm, choler, melancholy) which form and nourish the body; ?also, a part or an organ composed of humor(s; kindeli ~, natural ~, ~ natural, one of the four normal humors; god ~, a healthy or beneficial humor; (b) one of four harmful fluids formed in the body; innatural ~, unkinde ~, unnatural ~, an unnatural or harmful humor; (c) a fluid or humor which produces ulcers, disease, etc.; also fig.; ille (ivel, qued, wikked) ~; gleimi (viscous) ~, a sticky humor; roten ~, a decaying or corrupt humor; etc. [It is seldom possible to be certain whether the disease-producing humor is an unnatural humor or a corrupted form of one of the natural humors.]; (d) any pathological fluid of the body; matter, pus, a secretion, liquid resulting from decay, etc.
Show 57 Quotations
4.
Anat. (a) One of three soft, transparent or semi-transparent portions of the eye; cristalline ~, ~ cristalline (cristallinus), the crystalline lens; glasen (glasi) ~, ~ vitreus, the vitreous humor back of the lens; whitish (whitli) ~, ~ albugineus, the aqueous humor in front of the lens; (b) a fluid in or about the pupil of the eye; airi ~.
Show 11 Quotations
5.
One of the four qualities of matter.
Show 1 Quotation

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.102rb (3.16) : Attome ar causede & gendred þrogh continuel distillacioun, i. þrogh euery fote fallyng & course & rennyng of hymores vpon sad membres, as vpon þe bones & on oþer membres þat ar hard & sadde.
Note: New spelling (pl.) (?error): hymores.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1.(b)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. radical humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. good humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. kindly humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. natural humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(b)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. innatural humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(b)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. unkind humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(b)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. unnatural humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. evil humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. ill humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. rotten humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. viscous humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 3.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. wicked humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 4.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. crystalline humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 4.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. glassen humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 4.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. glassy humour.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 4.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. humour albugineus.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 4.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. humour crystallinus.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 4.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. humour vitreus.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 4.(b)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. airy humour.

©2025 Regents of the University of Michigan. For details about this collection's copyright see the MEC copyright statement and the U-M Library Copyright Policy. Data last refreshed Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 12:18:00.