Etymology Map
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Human

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means relating to people; a person

Where does the word "human" come from? It comes from Latin humanus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
humanus
Latin · classical
"of people; kind"
related to homo 'man' and humus 'earth'; Terence's comedy of 163 BC has the line 'Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto', I am human, nothing human is alien to me
2
Stage 2 of 3
humain
Old French · 1100s
"human; humane"
meant both 'of people' and 'kindly'
3
Stage 3 of 3
human
English · 1300s
"of people"
'human' and 'humane' were one word until the 1700s, when the spellings split along with the meanings
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Read the full story

Human’s story begins in Latin: humanus meant “of people; kind.” Related to homo 'man' and humus 'earth'; Terence's comedy of 163 BC has the line 'Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto', I am human, nothing human is alien to me. By 1100s, the word had taken hold in Old French as humain. Meant both 'of people' and 'kindly'. It reached English by 1300s as human. 'human' and 'humane' were one word until the 1700s, when the spellings split along with the meanings. Today, human means relating to people; a person.