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 humaneness, humane conduct, philanthropy, benevolence, kindliness courtesy, politeness, good manners, social grace Synonym: cōmitās refinement, culturedness, mental cultivation, liberal education culture, civilization, especially as contrasted with barbarism (Medieval Latin) humankind, the human race c. 730 CE ==== Usage notes ==== In classical usage, the word does not denote "humankind" or "the human race" in a neutral sense, but invariably refers with a positive connotation to those higher qualities supposed to distinguish humans from beasts, viz. benevolence, sociability, cultivation, civilization, and so on. But the neutral sense is sometimes found in postclassical Latin. ==== Declension ==== Third-declension noun. ==== Descendants ==== === 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, 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. 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