Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “humane” come from?

Humane derives from Middle English humain, from Middle French humain, from Latin homo meaning "man" or "human being," from Proto-Indo-European dʰéǵʰōm.

humane (English): Having or showing concern for the pain or...

Definitions

  1. Having or showing concern for the pain or...

Ancestry of “humane”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishhumainAlternative form of humayne
2Old Frenchhumain—
3Latinhūmānus—
4Latinhomō—
5Old Latinhemō—
6Proto-Italichemōman
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰmṓearthling
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰéǵʰōmearth
9Proto-Indo-European-ōm—
10Proto-Indo-European-mi—

Words derived from “humane”

  • inhumane
  • humanely
  • humaneness
  • inhumanely
  • nonhumane
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mi →