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umor

Etymology and origin of the Latin word umor

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Ennius
Ultimate origin
Latin (ūmeō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈuː.mɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈuː.mor][1]

Forms

ūmor m (genitive ūmōris); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from ūmeō “to be moist” with the suffix -or.[2][1][3] The spelling ⟨hūmor⟩ comes from a false association with humus “earth”.[3][4] Köbler traces it to Proto-Indo-European *wegʷ- (“wet”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Ennius, of moisture.[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant moisture, and in Pacuvius bodies of water, as Cicero's water that hardens in the cold.[2][6] From Plautus it meant a bodily fluid, and in Tacitus the sap of plants.[2] In Virgil it meant a liquid as drunk, ūmor Bacchī “wine”.[2][6]

British Medieval Latin used it for moisture as a basic constituent of things and for the bodily humours.[7] Old North French humour gave English humor in the mid-14th century, first “bodily fluid”.[3]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of moisture.[2][5]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a bodily fluid.[2][5]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of wine.[2][6][5]
  • mid-14th century – English humor is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Moisture; water.[2]
  2. A bodily fluid; sap.[2]
  3. A liquid, drink.[2]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A bodily humour.[7]

Word family

  • ūmifer
  • umifico
  • ūmificus
  • ūmigō
  • umorosus

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Umor.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/umor. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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