Humor

Humor, according to the ancients, any of the 4 bodily elements: phlegm, blood, choler, and black bile, corresponding to the 4 natural elements: earth, air, fire, and water. In the well-adjusted person, the 4 humors are in balance. If one preponderates, the person is of unequal temper: If phlegm preponderates then the person is phlegmatic; if blood, the person is sanguine; if choler, the person is choleric; if black bile, the person is melancholic. The person not in “good humor” behaves eccentrically, and is thus an object of ridicule. The word “humor” thus came to mean mocking laughter.