humanitas

Latin

Etymology

From hūmānus (“human”) +‎ -tās; coined by Cicero as a calque of Ancient Greek φιλανθρωπία (philanthrōpía).

Noun

hūmānitās f (genitive hūmānitātis); third declension

humanity, human nature
humaneness, humane conduct, philanthropy
kindness, kindliness, courtesy, politeness
Synonym: cōmitās
refinement, culture, civilization, good breeding

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	hūmānitās	hūmānitātēs
genitive	hūmānitātis	hūmānitātum
dative	hūmānitātī	hūmānitātibus
accusative	hūmānitātem	hūmānitātēs
ablative	hūmānitāte	hūmānitātibus
vocative	hūmānitās	hūmānitātēs

Descendants

→ Catalan: humanitat
→ English: humanity
→ German: Humanität
→ French: humanité
→ Italian: umanità
→ Old Galician-Portuguese: humanidade
- Galician: humanidade, humanidá (traditional but proscribed)
- Portuguese: humanidade
→ Romanian: umanitate
→ Spanish: humanidad

References

“humanitas”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“humanitas”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
"humanitas", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
humanitas in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- to be quite uncivilised: omnis cultus et humanitatis expertem esse
- to be quite uncivilised: ab omni cultu et humanitate longe abesse (B. G. 1. 1. 3)
- to teach a person refinement: aliquem ad humanitatem informare or instituere
- the usual subjects taught to boys: artes, quibus aetas puerilis ad humanitatem informari solet
- to be quite insensible to all feelings of humanity: omnem humanitatem exuisse, abiecisse (Lig. 5. 14)
- to be quite insensible of all feelings to humanity: omnem humanitatis sensum amisisse
- to be absolutely wanting in sympathy: omnis humanitatis expertem esse
- to stifle, repress all humane sentiments in one's mind: omnem humanitatem ex animo exstirpare (Amic. 13. 48)
- a most courteous letter: litterae officii or humanitatis plenae
humanitas in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016