human

—humanlike, adj. —humanness, n.

/hyooh"meuhn/ or, often, /yooh"-/, adj.

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or having the nature of people: human frailty.

2. consisting of people: the human race.

3. of or pertaining to the social aspect of people: human affairs.

4. sympathetic; humane: a warmly human understanding.

5. a human being.

[1350-1400; earlier humain(e), humayn(e), ME < MF humain < L humanus, akin to homo human being (cf. HOMO); sp. human predominant from early 18th cent.]

Syn. 1. HUMAN, HUMANE may refer to that which is, or should be, characteristic of human beings. In thus describing characteristics, HUMAN may refer to good and bad traits of a person alike (human kindness; human weakness). When emphasis is placed upon the latter, HUMAN is thought of as contrasted to DIVINE: To err is human, to forgive divine. He was only human.

HUMANE (the original spelling of HUMAN, and since 1700 restricted in meaning) takes into account only the nobler or gentler aspects of people and is often contrasted to their more ignoble or brutish aspect. A HUMANE person is benevolent in treating fellow humans or helpless animals; the word once had also connotations of courtesy and refinement (hence, the application of HUMANE to those branches of learning intended to refine the mind).

Pronunciation. Pronunciations of words like HUMAN, HUGE, etc., with the initial /h/ deleted: /yooh"meuhn, yoohj/, while sometimes criticized, are heard from speakers at all social and educational levels, including professors, lawyers, and other public speakers.

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(as used in expressions)

human factors engineering

human engineering

human immunodeficiency virus

louse human

migration human

reproductive system human

sexuality human

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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Universalium. 2010.

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Synonyms:

Man's, of man, belonging to man / Common to mankind / Like a man, like a human being, full of fellow-feeling, full of common human feeling, full of heart, sympathetic

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Human — Hu man, a. [L. humanus; akin to homo man: cf. F. humain. See {Homage}, and cf. {Humane}, {Omber}.] Belonging to man or mankind; having the qualities or attributes of a man; of or pertaining to man or to the race of man; as, a human voice; human… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Human — Hu man, n. A human being. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] Sprung of humans that inhabit earth. Chapman. [1913 Webster] We humans often find ourselves in strange position. Prof. Wilson. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Human — Homo sapiens redirects here. For other uses, see Homo sapiens (disambiguation). This article is about modern humans. For other human species, see Homo. For other uses, see Human (disambiguation). Holozoa Human … Wikipedia
Human Be-In — The Human Be In was a happening in San Francisco s Golden Gate Park, the afternoon and evening of January 14, 1967. It was a prelude to San Francisco s Summer of Love, which made the Haight Ashbury district a household word as the center of an… … Wikipedia
human — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English humain, from Anglo French, from Latin humanus; akin to Latin homo human being more at homage Date: 14th century 1. of, relating to, or characteristic of humans 2. consisting of humans 3. a. having human form … New Collegiate Dictionary
Human security — is an emerging paradigm for understanding global vulnerabilities whose proponents challenge the traditional notion of national security by arguing that the proper referent for security should be the individual rather than the state. Human… … Wikipedia
Human sacrifice — is the act of homicide (the killing of one or several human beings) in the context of a religious ritual (ritual killing). Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals (animal sacrifice) and of religious… … Wikipedia
Human shield — is a military and political term describing the deliberate placement of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets. It may also refer to the use of civilians to literally shield combatants during attacks … Wikipedia
Human-computer interaction — Human–computer interaction or HCI is the study of interaction between people (users) and computers. It is often regarded as the intersection of computer science, behavioral sciences, design and several other fields of study. Interaction between… … Wikipedia
Human cloning — is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue. The term is generally… … Wikipedia
Human Rights Watch — is a United States based international non governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City.HistoryHuman Rights Watch was founded under the name Helsinki Watch in 1978 to monitor … Wikipedia

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Universalium

human

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