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human

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hu⋅man

  [hyoo-muhn or, often, yoo‑]
Use human in a Sentence
–adjective
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.
–noun
5. a human being.
Origin:
1350–1400; earlier humain(e), humayn(e), ME < MF humain < L hūmānus, akin to homō human being (cf. Homo ); sp. human predominant from early 18th cent.

Related forms:
hu⋅man⋅like, adjective
hu⋅man⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
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 note:
Pronunciations of words like human, huge, etc., with the initial [h] deleted: [yoo-muhn],  [yooj], while sometimes criticized, are heard from speakers at all social and educational levels, including professors, lawyers, and other public speakers.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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hu·man   (hyōō'mən)   
n.  
  1. A member of the genus Homo and especially of the species H. sapiens.
  2. A person: the extraordinary humans who explored Antarctica.
adj.  
  1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of humans: the course of human events; the human race.
  2. Having or showing those positive aspects of nature and character regarded as distinguishing humans from other animals: an act of human kindness.
  3. Subject to or indicative of the weaknesses, imperfections, and fragility associated with humans: a mistake that shows he's only human; human frailty.
  4. Having the form of a human.
  5. Made up of humans: formed a human bridge across the ice.

[Middle English humain, from Old French, from Latin hūmānus; see dhghem- in Indo-European roots.]
hu'man·hood' n., hu'man·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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 shape; human nature; human sacrifices.

To err is human; to forgive, divine. --Pope.

Human

Hu"man\, n. A human being. [Colloq.]

Sprung of humans that inhabit earth. --Chapman.

We humans often find ourselves in strange position. --Prof. Wilson.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : human
Spanish: humano,
German: menschlich,
Japanese: 人間の
More Translations »

human 
c.1250, from M.Fr. humain "of or belonging to man," from L. humanus, probably related to homo (gen. hominis) "man," and to humus "earth," on notion of "earthly beings," as opposed to the gods (cf. Heb. adam "man," from adamah "ground"). Cognate with O.Lith. zmuo (acc. zmuni) "man, male person." Displaced its O.E. cognate guma (from P.Gmc. *guman-) which survives only in disguise in bridegroom. First record of humankind is from 1645. Humanoid (1918) is a hybrid of L. humanus and Gk. -oeides "like," from eidos "form, shape" (see -oid).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: 1hu·man
Pronunciation: 'hyü-m&n, 'yü-
Function: adjective
1 a : of, relating to, or characteristic ofhumans human body> <human chorionic gonadotropin> <human growth hormone> b : primarily or usually harbored by,affecting, or attacking humans <human appendicitis> human flea>
2 : being or consisting of humans human race>
3 : consisting of members of the family Hominidae : HOMINID —hu·man·ness /-m&n-n&s/ noun

Main Entry: 2human
Function: noun
: a bipedal primate mammal of the genus Homo (H. sapiens) : MAN; broadly : any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae —hu·man·like /-"lIk/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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human   (hy'mən)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A member of the species Homo sapiens; a human being.
  2. A member of any of the extinct species of the genus Homo, such as Homo erectus or Homo habilis, that are considered ancestral or closely related to modern humans.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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human

see milk of human kindness.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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