HUMANITY

humanity. Humanity, n. the nature of man, benevolence

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Hu‐man″i‐ty (?), n.; pl. Humanities (#). [[L. humanitas: cf. F. humanité. See Human.]] 1. 1. The quality of being human; the peculiar nature of man, by which he is distinguished from other beings.
2. 2. Mankind collectively; the human race.
But hearing oftentimes The still, and music humanity. Wordsworth. It is a debt we owe to humanity. S. S. Smith. 3. 3. The quality of being humane; the kind feelings, dispositions, and sympathies of man; especially, a disposition to relieve persons or animals in distress, and to treat all creatures with kindness and tenderness. “The common offices of humanity and friendship.” Locke.
4. 4. Mental cultivation; liberal education; instruction in classical and polite literature.
Polished with humanity and the study of witty science. Holland. 5. 5. pl. (With definite article) The branches of polite or elegant learning; as language, rhetoric, poetry, and the ancient classics; belles-letters.
☞ The cultivation of the languages, literature, history, and archæology of Greece and Rome, were very commonly called literæ humaniores, or, in English, the humanities, . . . by way of opposition to the literæ divinæ, or divinity. G. P. Marsh.