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

1. humanity, human nature
2. humaneness, humane conduct, philanthropy
3. kindness, kindliness, courtesy, politeness

   Synonym: cōmitās

4. refinement, culture, civilization, good breeding

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	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 (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016