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hu·man·i·ty

(hy-mănĭ-tē)

n. pl. hu·man·i·ties

1. Humans considered as a group; the human race.

2. The condition or quality of being human.

3. The quality of being humane; benevolence.

4. A humane characteristic, attribute, or act.

5. humanities

a. The languages and literatures of ancient Greece and Rome; the classics.

b. Those branches of knowledge, such as philosophy, literature, and art, that are concerned with human thought and culture.

[Middle English humanite, from Old French, from Latin hūmānitās, from hūmānus, human; see HUMAN.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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