Humor vs Pun - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between humor and pun

is that humor is mood, temper while pun is a joke or type of wordplay in which similar senses or sounds of two words or phrases, or different senses of the same word, are deliberately confused.

As a verb pun is

to beat; strike with force; ram; pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder or pun can be to make or tell a pun; make a play on words.

humor

English

Noun

(en noun)

* 1763 , (Antoine-Simon Le Page du Pratz), History of Louisisana (PG), p. 40

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

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=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.}}

Verb

(en verb)

I know you don't believe my story, but humor me for a minute and imagine it to be true.

External links

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Anagrams

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pun

English

(wikipedia pun)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) . More at (l).

Verb

To beat; strike with force; ram; pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder.

* Shakespeare

He would pun thee into shivers with his fist.

Etymology 2

From a special use of Etymology 1 .

Noun

(en noun)

A joke or type of wordplay in which similar senses or sounds of two words or phrases, or different senses of the same word, are deliberately confused.

* {{quote-book

, title=(Mansfield Park) , last=Austen , first=Jane , authorlink=Jane Austen , year=1814 citation , volume=one, chapter VI , publisher= }}

"Certainly, my home at my uncle's brought me acquainted with a circle of admirals. Of Rears'' and ''Vices I saw enough. Now do not be suspecting me of a pun , I entreat."

*:Comment : Austen was likely referring to spanking/flogging, then common naval punishments, known as (le vice Anglais) .

Usage notes

* Because some puns are based on pronunciation, puns are more obvious when spoken aloud. For example: “This rock is gneiss, but don’t take it for granite.” This reads (with a US accent) similarly to “This rock is nice, but don’t take it for granted.” (Both “gneiss” and “granite” are types of rock.)

Synonyms

* See also

Verb

To make or tell a pun; make a play on words.

We punned about the topic until all around us groaned.

Anagrams

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