HUMANITIES

Noun

humanities

plural of humanity

humanities pl (plural only)

(obsolete) synonym of classical studies: the study of Ancient Greek and Latin, their literature, etc.

The study of language, literature, the arts, and philosophy, sometimes including religion

Synonyms

• (language, literature, etc.): belles-lettres (obsolete)

Source: Wiktionary


HUMANITY

Hu*man"i*ty, n.; pl. Humanities. Etym: [L. humanitas: cf. F. humanité. See Human.]

1. The quality of being human; the peculiar nature of man, by which he is distinguished from other beings.

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. 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. Mental cultivation; liberal education; instruction in classical and polite literature. Polished with humanity and the study of witty science. Holland.

5. pl. (With definite article)

Definition: The branches of polite or elegant learning; as language, rhetoric, poetry, and the ancient classics; belles-letters.

Note: 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

26 April 2024

CITYSCAPE

(noun) a viewpoint toward a city or other heavily populated area; “the dominant character of the cityscape is it poverty”


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Coffee Trivia

There are four varieties of commercially viable coffee: Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa, and Robusta. Growers predominantly plant the Arabica species. Although less popular, Robusta tastes slightly more bitter and contains more caffeine.

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