LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

hūmānus1

hūmānus (feminine hūmāna, neuter hūmānum, comparative hūmānior, superlative hūmānissimus, adverb hūmānē or hūmāniter)
Classical[huːˈmaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[uˈmaː.nus]
hūmānum sg. nom. n.; sg. acc. m.; sg. acc. n.; sg. voc. n.№ 355 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectivehuman (of man, people)
    Heauton Timorumenos (“The Self-Tormentor”) by Publius Terentius AferI am a man, I consider nothing that is human alien to me.
  2. adjectivehumane, kind, philanthropic
    Haec ego putābam esse omnia hūmānī ingenīAll these I considered to be the duties of a humane mind and a gentle spirit.166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 113–114
  3. adjectivecultured, refined

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quī hominum est; etiam mītis et bonus.
hūmānus -a -um — in Mille Verba, ch. Vīta et Mors

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Humanitus · Humane · Humaniter

Humanitus means in a human manner, in objective reference to the exterior condition of man, namely, that of weakness and mortality, like ἀνθρωπείως, ἀνθρωπίνως; whereas humane and humaniter, in subjective reference to man’s capacity for and propensity towards cultivation; humane facere is the result of moral cultivation, like φιλανθρώπως; humaniter facere is the result of social cultivation, like ἐπιεικῶς. (v. 8.)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativehūmānushūmānahūmānum
genitivehūmānīhūmānaehūmānī
dativehūmānōhūmānaehūmānō
accusativehūmānumhūmānamhūmānum
ablativehūmānōhūmānāhūmānō
vocativehūmānehūmānahūmānum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativehūmānīhūmānaehūmāna
genitivehūmānōrumhūmānārumhūmānōrum
dativehūmānīshūmānīshūmānīs
accusativehūmānōshūmānāshūmāna
ablativehūmānīshūmānīshūmānīs
vocativehūmānīhūmānaehūmāna

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

res humanae or simply res
human life.
haec est rerum humanarum condicio
that is the way of the world; such is life.
res externas or humanas despicere
to despise earthly things.
res humanas infra se positas arbitrari
to feel superior to the affairs of life.
supera et caelestia; humana et citerioria
heavenly things; earthly things.
humane, modice, moderate, sapienter, constanter ferre aliquid
to bear a thing with resignation, composure.
homines, gentem a fera agrestique vita ad humanum cultum civilemque deducere (De Or. 1. 8. 33)
to civilise men, a nation.

hūmānus (old form: HEMONA humana et HEMONEM hominem dicebant, Paul. ex Fest. p. 100 Müll.; cf. homo
I. init.), a, um, adj. homo, of or belonging to man, human.
I. In gen.: esse aliquem humana specie et figura, qui tantum immanitate bestias vicerit, ut, etc., Cic. Rosc. Am. 22, 63: simulacra, id. Rep. 3, 9: caput, a human head, Hor. A. P. 1; Flor. 1, 7, 8: succidiae, Cato ap. Gell. 13, 24, 12: Cyclopis venter ... Carnibus humanis distentus, human flesh, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 870 P. (Ann. v. 327 Vahl,): humana qui dape pavit equas, Ov. H. 9, 68: Athenas obsidione et fame ad humanos cibos compulit, Flor. 3, 5, 10: hostiae, human sacrifices, Cic. Font. 10 21; Tac. G. 9; Plin. 8, 22, 34, § 82; Flor. 1, 16, 7: lac, human milk, Plin. 28, 9, 33, § 123: nec distare humana carne suillam, Juv. 14, 98: carnibus humanis vesci, id. 15, 13: societas generis humani, of the human race, Cic. Lael. 5, 20; cf.: eos (deos) non curare opinor quid agat humanum genus, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 2, 50, 104 (Trag. v. 354 Vahl.); v. genus: ubi remissa humana vita corpus requiescat malis, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 44, 107 (Trag. v. 416 ib.); cf.: humanae vitae varia reputantes mala, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 48, 115; and Cic. Rep. 6, 18; in the comp.: ergo hercules vita humanior sine sale non quit degere, Plin. 31, 7, 41, § 88: omnium divinarum humanarumque rerum, Cic. Lael. 6, 20; v. divinus: amor, id. ib. 21, 81: natura, id. Rep. 1, 14: virtus, id. ib. 1, 7 fin.: casus, id. Lael. 2, 7: cultus, id. de Or. 1, 8, 33: humanissima voluptas, id. Ac. 2, 41, 127: ignes, i. e. which men daily use, Plin. 2, 107, 111, § 239: dapes, i. e. human excrements, id. 17, 9, 6, § 51: memoria, Tac. A. 11, 14: ultra modum humanum, id. ib. 11, 21: humanum facinus factumst, customary, Plaut. Truc. 2, 1, 8: nec quisquam dixerit, in eo qui obdormivit, rem eum humanam et naturalem passum, Mos. et Rom. Coll. 12, 7, 7: major imago humana, of superhuman size, Juv. 13, 222: humanum sacrificium dicebant, quod mortui causa fiebat, Paul. ex Fest. p. 103 Müll.: scelus, committed against men, Liv. 3, 19 fin.; 29, 18 fin.: si quid mihi humanum contigerit, if any thing should happen to me, i. e. if I should die, Dig. 16, 3, 26 (for which, humanitus, q. v.): persuasit nox, amor, vinum, adulescentia: Humanum'st, Ter. Ad. 3, 4, 25: metum virgarum navarchus pretio redemit: humanum est; alius, ne condemnaretur, pecuniam dedit: usitatum est, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 44, § 117; cf. Ter. Hec. 4, 1, 38; id. Ad. 3, 4, 25: humano quodam modo, Quint. 10, 3, 15: res humani juris, property (opp. res divini juris, things sacred or religious), Gai. Inst. 2, 2; 9 sqq.; 3, 97: ne vinum ... esse sacrum incipiat et ex usibus eripiatur humanis, Arn. adv. Gent. 7, 31.— As substt.
A. hūmāni, ōrum, m., men, mortals, Lucr. 3, 80; 837: natura humanis omnia sunt paria, Varr. ap. Non. 81, 10.—
B. hūmānum, i, n., that which is human, mortal, etc.: ignem magnum hic faciam. Dae. Quine ut humanum exuras tibi? Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 62: non hercle humanust ergo: nam volturio plus humani credost, id. Mil. 4, 2, 53: si quicquam in vobis non dico civilis sed humani esset, Liv. 5, 4, 9: pulcher et humano major trabeaque decorus Romulus, Ov. F. 2, 503 (but in Cic. Att. 13, 21, 5, homo is the true reading): homo sum: humani nihil a me alienum puto, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 25: Satyris praeter effigiem nihil humani, Mela, 1, 8, 10: si in Pompeio quid humani evenisset, Sall. H. Fragm. 5, 16 Dietsch.—
C. Plur.: hūmā-na, ōrum, n., human affairs, the concerns of men, events of life: qui omnia humana, quaecumque accidere possunt, tolerabilia ducat, Cic. Tusc. 5, 6, 17; cf.: despicientem omnia humana, id. Rep. 1, 17; and: haec caelestia semper spectato, illa humana contemnito, id. ib. 6, 19: si quicquam humanorum certi est, Liv. 5, 33, 1: deos esse et non neglegere humana, id. 3, 56, 7.—Comp. (very rare): respiratio humanior, i. e. freer, Cael. Aur. Acut. 2, 1, 2.
II. In partic.
A. Humane, philanthropic, kind, gentle, obliging, polite (syn.: comis, urbanus): te esse humano ingenio existumo, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 127: Cyrum minorem Persarum regem et ceteris in rebus communem erga Lysandrum atque humanum fuisse, Cic. de Sen. 17, 59; cf.: homo facillimus atque humanissimus, id. Att. 16, 16, C, 12: humani ingeni Mansuetique animi officia, Ter. And. 1, 1, 86; cf.: quod ipse moderatissimi atque humanissimi fuit sensus, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 24, 5: Catonis (praeceptum) humanissimum utilissimumque, Plin. 18, 6, 8, § 44 (cf. Cato, R. R. 4). —
B. Of good education, well-informed, learned, polite, refined: gentem quidem nullam video neque tam humanam atque doctam neque tam immanem atque barbaram, quae non significari futura posse censeat, Cic. Div. 1, 1, 2; cf.: homo doctissimus atque humanissimus, id. Verr. 2, 4, 44, § 98: homines periti et humani, id. ib. 2, 5, 28, § 70: haec ego non possum dicere non esse hominis quamvis et belli et humani, id. Fin. 2, 31, 102: Praxiteles nemini est paulum modo humaniori ignotus, Varr. ap. Gell. 13, 16, 3 (eruditiori doctiorique, Gell.; see the entire chap.): humanissimussermo, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 10, 2.—Hence, adv. in two forms: hūmānē and hūmānĭter.
1. (Acc. to I.) Humanly, agreeably to human nature, in a manner becoming humanity.
(a). Form humane: vix humane patitur, Ter. Ad. 1, 2, 65: intervalla vides humane commoda, i. e. exceedingly, charmingly commodious, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 70: morbos toleranter atque humane ferunt, Cic. Tusc. 2, 27, 65.—
(b). Form humaniter: docebo profecto, quid sit humaniter vivere, Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 5: sin aliter acciderit, humaniter feremus, id. Att. 1, 2, 1.—
b. Comp.: si qui forte, cum se in luctu esse vellent, aliquid fecerunt humanius, aut si hilarius locuti sunt, Cic. Tusc. 3, 27, 64.—
2. In partic. (acc. to II. A.), humanely, pleasantly, courteously, kindly, gently, politely, etc.
(a). Form humane: Hirtium aliquid ad te συμπαθῶς de me scripsisse facile patior: fecit enim humane, Cic. Att. 12, 44, 1.—
(b). Form humaniter: invitus litteras tuas scinderem: ita sunt humaniter scriptae, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 509, 21: fecit humaniter Licinius, id. Q. Fr. 2, 1, 1.—
b. Sup.: quod se sua voluntate erga Caesarem humanissime diligentissimeque locutus esses, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 6, § 20: quam humanissime scribere, id. Fam. 2, 17, 6; 5, 20, 8; cf. Cic. Fil. ap. Cic. Fam. 16, 21, 3: ducem se itineris humanissime promisit, Petr. 8.

Origins

Unknown. The term is probably connected to homō (“human”), itself from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ. Perhaps from *hūm (“earth”) (see humus) -ānus. The form *hūm could possibly derive from earlier *hōm, with a phonological development similar to Latin fūr, from *fōr. However, De Vaan suggests that—in the example of fūr—the labial consonant may have conditioned the sound shift. Moreover, De Vaan suggests that a word-final nasal would be dropped following *ō, implying that the final *m in *hōm would have to be restored on the model of the oblique cases (i.e. an accusative singular form *hōmem). Alternatively, the term has been connected to Old Irish doíni and derived from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰdʰoym-, though De Vaan suggests that the source of *-oy- in this form is uncertain.

Descendants
  • Catalanhumà
  • Italianumano
  • Occitanuman
  • Portuguesehumano
  • Romanianuman
  • Spanishhumano
  • Asturianhumanu
  • Dutchhumaan
  • Galicianhumano
  • Ladinuman
noun · masculinesecond declension
hūmānus2
hūmānus m (genitive hūmānī)
Classical[huːˈmaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[uˈmaː.nus]
hūmānum sg. acc.№ 355 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. plural normallya human, mortal

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativehūmānushūmānī
genitivehūmānīhūmānōrum
dativehūmānōhūmānīs
accusativehūmānumhūmānōs
ablativehūmānōhūmānīs
vocativehūmānehūmānī

Origins

Unknown. The term is probably connected to homō (“human”), itself from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ. Perhaps from *hūm (“earth”) (see humus) -ānus. The form *hūm could possibly derive from earlier *hōm, with a phonological development similar to Latin fūr, from *fōr. However, De Vaan suggests that—in the example of fūr—the labial consonant may have conditioned the sound shift. Moreover, De Vaan suggests that a word-final nasal would be dropped following *ō, implying that the final *m in *hōm would have to be restored on the model of the oblique cases (i.e. an accusative singular form *hōmem). Alternatively, the term has been connected to Old Irish doíni and derived from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰdʰoym-, though De Vaan suggests that the source of *-oy- in this form is uncertain.

Quick answers

What does hūmānus mean in Latin?
hūmānus, a adjective, means “human (of man, people); humane, kind, philanthropic; cultured, refined”.
How do you pronounce hūmānus?
In classical Latin, [huːˈmaː.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [uˈmaː.nus].