human

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human pert. to man. XIV. In earliest use humain(e) — (O)F. humain, fem. -aine — L. hūmānus, rel. to homō man; see -AN. The sp. humane persisted in gen. use till early XVIII, but the form human (based directly on L.) occurs in late XVII. The variant humane became restricted during XVIII for the senses (i) characterized by disposition or behaviour befitting a man (formerly spec. †gentle, courteous XV-XVI), and (ii) pert. to studies that tend to humanize or refine (XVII).
So humanism †belief in the mere human nature of Christ; devotion to human interests or the humanities XIX; after humanist one devoted to the humanities. XVI. — F. humaniste — It. umanista. humanity humane disposition or conduct XIV; human quality or attributes XV; polite learning, spec. (and from XVIII pl.) the ancient Greek and Latin classics; mankind XVI. — (O)F. — L. Hence humanitarian one who affirms the humanity of Christ; one devoted to humane action. XIX. humanize XVII. — F.

hu·man / ˈ(h)yoōmən/ • adj. of, relating to, or characteristic of people or human beings: the human body the survival of the human race. ∎  of or characteristic of people as opposed to God or animals or machines, esp. in being susceptible to weaknesses: they are only human, and therefore mistakes do occur the risk of human error. ∎  of or characteristic of people's better qualities, such as kindness or sensitivity: the human side of politics is getting stronger. ∎  Zool. of or belonging to the genus Homo. • n. a human being, esp. a person as distinguished from an animal or (in science fiction) an alien. DERIVATIVES: hu·man·ness n.

human Primate mammal of the genus Homo, the only living species of which is Homo sapiens. When compared with near relatives, the chimpanzee, gorilla and orang-utan, humans have several distinct features. They walk upright, their body is only patchily hairy, their big toes are not opposable to the other toes, their backbone is more S-shaped than straight, and their forehead is higher than that of any ape. Microscopically, humans are distinct from great apes by the size, number, and shape of their chromosomes. Another distinction is the human capacity for language. Socially, humans are similar to lesser primates, preferring a family or other small group. Humans have always actively made great changes to both their immediate environment and to ecosystems.

human see anthropology ; human evolution ; race .

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