The word human in grammar

Throughout all of the articles in my Hidden History of English series the common thread between all unexpected spellings, or words which seem not to follow English rules has been their status as borrowed words. (If you’re interested in some more hidden English history, check out my series here.)

The word “human” is no different here.

Humen is not the plural form of human because it comes into English through Latin. Words like man and woman become men and women because they are native English words. It’s similar to other -en plurals: oxen and children. Words borrowed into English don’t experience the same changes as native words do.

Human’s Latin Origins

The word “human” looks like it could be related to the word “woman”. Both of these words look like they have the same base word, -man, with a prefix attached to modify that base. While this is the case for woman the story behind human is completely different.

Human comes into English from the Latin word humanus. In Latin, this word also means human.

Humanus is a Latin word which is derived from the Latin noun humus. This might make you think about a delicious spread made from beans (that’s actually spelt with two Ms, hummus.) but in Latin this word meant “soil”.

Humanus is formed in Latin through the word humus and the addition of an affix -anus which takes a noun and creates a new noun associated with the base word. This results in humanus which means human but retains that association with the Earth or soil.

It basically means “being of the soil/earth”. The ancient Romans were an agricultural society and they clearly closely associated mankind with the fields they cultivated their livelihoods in.

Prior to English borrowing the word human, older forms of English simply used the word “man” to refer to both male and female human beings.

You can see this in the usage of Man to refer to all people, both men and women, and in the word “mankind”.

How is Woman Different?

Woman has an entirely different story from human.

As we mentioned above, in Old English the word to refer to all humans was mann (the direct ancestor to the modern English word “man”). This word did not refer at all to male human beings.

So in order to describe female people, Old English attached a prefix to the word mann to create a new gendered noun. The female form of the noun was wifmann (female + human).

The word for male humans in Old English was wer. This word is only preserved in modern English as a prefix that attaches to animal names to indicated a man who can transform into that animal, such as a werewolf.

Today, the word we use to refer to female humans is woman. This word is a direct ancestor of that Old English word wifmann.

Words that are borrowed into English through other languages did not experience the same type of language environment that lead to irregular word forms like: teeth, mice, or men.

When loanwords come into English, they transform using the regular rules. Speakers of all languages prefer simplicity. There is no reason why speakers will choose to attach irregular patterns on to new words. Irregularities exist in language when change happens. All irregular forms in English exist because of language evolution over hundreds of years, not because of conscious decision.

So when English speakers adopted the word “human”, they decided to give it a regular plural ending (humans).

Why is the Plural of Man “Men”?

Words like “man” and “woman” have irregular plural forms because they are words that have existed in English since its beginning.

The English language has over 1400 years of turbulent history. The Anglo-Saxons (the people who first spoke English) underwent a lot of trials throughout their history. They were subjugated and ruled over by many other tribes of people who spoke different languages from them throughout their history. This close contact with other cultures and languages deeply affected the English language.

Old English was a completely different form of English from what we speak today. It’s incomprehensible from modern English. If you’re interested in seeing an example of Old English, check out this article where I explore native English words.

The words with irregular plurals in modern English are examples of sound shifts that occurred earlier in the language’s history. Sounds change all the time in language as people begin to have slight variations in the way they pronounce words. Over time, this leads to a disconnect between older and newer words in a language. Given enough time (thousands of years) this is how new languages form.

I-Mutations

Mutations were a system of vowel changes that happened with Old English words when they became plural (and in other environments).

We can see the legacy of this change in word pairs like mouse/mice, tooth/teeth, foot/feet, goose/geese, and man/men.

This change is prevalent throughout the entire Germanic language family whose member languages also experience a similar vowel shift.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the different paths which words take to become new vocabulary in a language affect the way they transform in that language.

Human is not a native English word. This is a loanword from Latin, so the ways it changes are very different from native English words such as man or woman which have been with English since its beginning.

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Late Middle English humayne, humain, from Middle French humain, from Old French humain, umain, from Latin hūmānus m (“of or belonging to a man, human, humane”, adjective), from humus, with unclear ū. Spelling human has been predominant since the early 18th century.^[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)juː.mən/, [ˈ(ç)ju̟ːmən], [ˈ(ç)ju̟ːmn̩]
• (US) enPR: (h)yo͞oʹmən, (h)yo͞omʹn, IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)ju.mən/, [ˈ(ç)ju̟mən], [ˈ(ç)ju̟mn̩]
  • (NYC, some other US dialects) IPA^(key): /ˈju.mən/
• (Indian English) IPA^(key): /ˈhjuː.mən/
• Rhymes: -uːmən
• Hyphenation: hu‧man

Adjective[edit]

human (comparative more human, superlative most human)

2. (not comparable) Of or belonging to the species Homo sapiens or its closest relatives.

   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene vi:

     Some powers diuine, or els infernall, mixt / Their angry ſeedes at his conception: / For he was neuer ſprong of humaine race, / Since with the ſpirit of his fearefull pride, / He dares so doubtleſly reſolue of rule.

   • 1660, [Richard Allestree], “Sect[ion] V. Of the Second Advantage, Wealth.”, in The Gentlemans Calling, London: […] T[imothy] Garthwait […], →OCLC, page 83:

     [N]o attempt is made to call in God to their reſcue, as if he vvere an idle unconcern’d ſpectator of humane affairs, or ſo inconſiderable an ally, as not to be vvorth the care of engaging him on their ſide.

   • 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:

     Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.

3. (comparable) Having the nature or attributes of a human being.

   To err is human; to forgive, divine.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest‎^[1]:

     She was like a Beardsley Salome, he had said. And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry.

   • 2011 August 17, Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., The Many Wars of Google: Handset makers will learn to live with their new ‘frenemy’, Business World, Wall Street Journal,

     Google wouldn’t be human if it didn’t want some of this loot, which buying Motorola would enable it to grab.

Alternative forms[edit]

• humane (obsolete)

Synonyms[edit]

• mannish, mennish (now rare)

Antonyms[edit]

• inhuman
• nonhuman
• unhuman

Hypernyms[edit]

• animalian (in its sense including all Animalia)
• mammalian

Derived terms[edit]

Pages starting with “human”.

[edit]

• humane
• humanitarian
• humanitarianism
• humanity

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

human (plural humans)

1. (strictly) The tallest, most abundant and most intelligent of primates; Homo sapiens.

   Humans share common ancestors with other apes.

   Synonyms: human being, man; see also Thesaurus:person

2. (broadly) Any hominid of the genus Homo.

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

human (third-person singular simple present humans, present participle humaning, simple past and past participle humaned)

1. (rare) To behave as or become, or to cause to behave as or become, a human.

   • 1911, Ambrose Bierce, “Music”, in The collected works of Ambrose Bierce, volume 9, page 362:

     […] he sought to charm a single pair of ears, and those more hairy than critical. Later, as the race went on humaning, there grew complexity of sentiment and varying emotional needs, […]

   • 2013, Biosocial Becomings, →ISBN, page 19:

     There are, then, many ways of humaning: these are the ways along which we make ourselves and, collaboratively, one another.

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• human on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• human in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “human”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• human at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams[edit]

• Nahum

Cebuano[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• Hyphenation: hu‧man

Verb[edit]

human

1. to finish

Adjective[edit]

human

1. completed; done

Adverb[edit]

human

1. after

Quotations[edit]

For quotations using this term, see Citations:human.

Danish[edit]

Adjective[edit]

human

1. human (having the nature or attributes of a human being)

   Synonym: menneskelig

2. humane (something done from love to humanity)

Inflection[edit]

Inflection of human
	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Common singular	human	—	—2
Neuter singular	humant	—	—2
Plural	humane	—	—2
Definite attributive1	humane	—	—
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding «indefinite» form is used. 2) The «indefinite» superlatives may not be used attributively.

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /huˈmaːn/
• Rhymes: -aːn

Adjective[edit]

human (strong nominative masculine singular humaner, comparative humaner, superlative am humansten)

1. humane

   Synonym: menschlich

Declension[edit]

[edit]

• Humanismus
• Humanist
• humanistisch

Further reading[edit]

• “human” in Duden online
• “human” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Interlingua[edit]

Adjective[edit]

human (comparative plus human, superlative le plus human)

1. human
2. humane

Derived terms[edit]

• esser human

Northern Sami[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈhuman/

Verb[edit]

human

1. first-person singular present indicative of hupmat

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin hūmānus.

Adjective[edit]

human (neuter singular humant, definite singular and plural humane)

1. humane

References[edit]

• “human” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin hūmānus.

Adjective[edit]

human (neuter singular humant, definite singular and plural humane)

1. humane

References[edit]

• “human” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Romansch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin hūmānus.

Adjective[edit]

human m (feminine singular humana, masculine plural humans, feminine plural humanas)

1. (Sursilvan) human

Alternative forms[edit]

• uman (Rumantsch Grischun, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Vallader)
• umaun (Puter)

Noun[edit]

human m (plural humans; feminine humana, plural humanas)

1. (Sursilvan) (male) human being

   Synonym: carstgaun

Alternative forms[edit]

• uman (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran, Vallader)
• umaun (Puter)

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /xûmaːn/
• Hyphenation: hu‧man

Adjective[edit]

hȕmān (definite hȕmānī, comparative humaniji, Cyrillic spelling ху̏ма̄н)

1. humane (with regard for the health and well-being of another; compassionate)

Declension[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Verb[edit]

human

1. third-person plural present indicative of humar

Swedish[edit]

Adjective[edit]

human

1. humane, decent, compassionate

   Deras politik har kritiserats för att inte vara human.

   Their politics have been criticised for being less than humane.

2. (of prices) reasonable

   Det var ett humant pris.

   That was a reasonable price.

Declension[edit]

Inflection of human
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	human	humanare	humanast
Neuter singular	humant	humanare	humanast
Plural	humana	humanare	humanast
Masculine plural3	humane	humanare	humanast
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	humane	humanare	humanaste
All	humana	humanare	humanaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. 3) Dated or archaic

человек, человеческое существо, человеческий, людской, человечий

существительное

- возвыш., шутл. человек, смертный; человеческое существо
- (the human) человечество, род человеческий
- pl. люди (в противоположность животным или машинам)

прилагательное ↓

Словосочетания

parts of the human body — части человеческого тела  
the symmetry of the human body — симметрия человеческого тела  
a cynical view of human nature — циничный взгляд на человеческую природу  
human derelict — отщепенец  
human ecology — экология человека  
human evolution — эволюция человека  
human foible — человеческая слабость  
to assume human form — принимать человеческий вид  
human givens — естественные человеческие потребности  
human life — человеческая жизнь  
to save a human life — спасти человеческую жизнь  
the milk of human kindness — сострадание, мягкосердечие, доброта  

Примеры с переводом

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

Возможные однокоренные слова

humanism  — гуманизм
humanist  — гуманист
humanity  — человечество, человечность, гуманность, люди, человеколюбие
humanize  — очеловечивать, смягчать, облагораживать, становиться гуманным, делать гуманным
humanly  — человечно, гуманно, с человеческой точки зрения, в пределах человеческих сил
inhuman  — бесчеловечный, нечеловеческий, жестокий, антигуманный, бесчувственный
humanness  — человеческие качества, человечность
unhuman  — бесчеловечный, жестокий, нечеловеческий, не свойственный человеку

Формы слова

noun
ед. ч.(singular): human
мн. ч.(plural): humans