humain French · revision 16492

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1160, Eneas|origins=la humānus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /y.mɛ̃/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''humain''' (feminine humaine, masculine plural humains, feminine plural humaines)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French also ''umain''.^(Wiktionary)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|humānus|t=of man, human; civilized; kind]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|4, 507b) Rey, after Ernout and Meillet, notes that “humānus” corresponds exactly in sense to [[m|la|homō|t=man, human being]] but is independent of it in form, like “publicus” beside “populus”; at an older level, where “homo” is linked to [[m|la|humus|t=earth]], a formal link is more than likely.^(DHLF 1992) The TLFi, the Grand Robert and the GLLF simply derive it from “homō”.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ Cognate with [[ca|humà]], [[es|humano]] and [[it|umano]].^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In ''Eneas'' (about 1160) it means “belonging to man”: ''Ce est enfer, ce ne est pas humains convers'', “this is hell, not a human dwelling”.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It soon meant “having the nature of man” (about 1165), as in ''être humain'', and “made up of men”: ''humains lignages'' (about 1175), later ''l'humain genre'' and ''le genre humain'' (about 1360).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) The sense “kind, benevolent”, taken again from Latin, is found about 1200, and of a woman it once meant “accessible”, opposed to ''inhumaine'' (1558).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ''Les lettres humaines'' in Rabelais (1552) are profane literature, opposed to the Scriptures.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) As a noun, ''les humains'' “mankind” is found in 1340 and ''l'humain'' “human nature” in d'Aubigné (before 1630).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The organ stop ''voix humaine'' dates from 1680, and ''respect humain'' from Corneille (1651).^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1160 – ''Eneas''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1175 – ''Humains lignages''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1200 – “Kind”, ''L'Escoufle''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1340 – ''Li humain'' “human beings”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1552 – ''Les lettres humaines'', Rabelais.^(TLFi)

+ * 1578 – ''Surhumain'', Ronsard.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1680 – ''Voix humaine'', an organ stop.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|human]]: of or proper to man: ''la nature humaine'', ''le corps humain'', ''un être humain''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Made up of human beings: ''le genre humain'', ''l'espèce humaine''.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+ # [[m|en|humane]], kind, understanding: ''un chef très humain''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # Natural to man, and so fallible: ''faiblesse humaine'', ''défaillance humaine''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Concerning man as an object of study: ''sciences humaines''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A human being, ''les humains'': mankind.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # ''L'humain'': what is human, human nature.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[humainement]]

+ * [[inhumain]]

+ * [[humaniser]]

+ * [[surhumain]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[humanité]]

+ * [[homme]]

+ * [[la|humānus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}