Origin and history of human

human(adj.)

mid-15c., humain, humaigne, "human," from Old French humain, umain (adj.) "of or belonging to man" (12c.), from Latin humanus "of man, human," also "humane, philanthropic, kind, gentle, polite; learned, refined, civilized." This is in part from PIE *(dh)ghomon-, literally "earthling, earthly being," as opposed to the gods (from root *dhghem- "earth"), but there is no settled explanation of the sound changes involved. Compare Hebrew adam "man," from adamah "ground." Cognate with Old Lithuanian žmuo (accusative žmuni) "man, male person."

Human interest is from 1779. Human rights is attested by 1650s; human being by 1670s.

"Curst with hereditary love of pelf,

"I hate all human beings but myself ;

"Cross and perplex my wife, because she prov'd,

"Poor girl !—not rich enough to be belov'd."

["The Diaboliad, A Poem Dedicated to the Worst Man in His Majesty's Dominions," 1677]

Human comedy "sum of human activities" translates French comédie humaine (Balzac); see comedy. Human relations is from 1640s as "interaction and connection among persons;" by 1916 as a department in a modern corporation; the phrase had been used from about 1912 in discussions of modern industry.

More than ever, perhaps, the successful manager must be a close student of men and their psychological processes. With the steady rise in intelligence, the increasing complexity of personal relations and the growing tendency of the public to interest themselves in industrial matters, the human element in factory management looms up with increasing importance; and no system of management can be successful that does not take this factor into account. [Dexter S. Kimball, "Principles of Industrial Organization," N.Y., 1913]

Human resources is attested by 1907, American English, apparently originally among social Christians and based on natural resources. As a personnel management department in a government or corporation by 1977.

also from mid-15c.

human(n.)

"a human being," 1530s, from human (adj.). Its Old English equivalent, guma, survives only in disguise in bridegroom.

also from 1530s

Entries linking to human

bridegroom(n.)

"man newly married or about to be," Old English brydguma "suitor," from bryd "bride" (see bride) + guma "man," from Proto-Germanic *gumon- (source also of Old Norse gumi, Old High German gomo), literally "earthling, earthly being," as opposed to the gods, from suffixed form of PIE root *dhghem- "earth."

The ending was altered 16c. by folk etymology after groom (n.) "groom, boy, lad" (q.v.). A common Germanic compound (compare Old Saxon brudigumo, Old Norse bruðgumi, Old High German brutigomo, German Bräutigam), except in Gothic, which used bruþsfaþs, literally "bride's lord."

comedy(n.)

late 14c., "narrative with a happy ending; any composition intended for amusement," from Old French comedie (14c.), "a poem" (not in the theatrical sense) and directly from Latin comoedia, from Greek kōmōidia "a comedy, amusing spectacle," probably [Beekes] from kōmōidos "actor or singer in the revels," from kōmos "revel, carousal, merry-making, festival" + aoidos "singer, poet," from aeidein "to sing," which is related to ōidē (see ode).

The passage on the nature of comedy in the Poetic of Aristotle is unfortunately lost, but if we can trust stray hints on the subject, his definition of comedy (which applied mainly to Menander) ran parallel to that of tragedy, and described the art as a purification of certain affections of our nature, not by terror and pity, but by laughter and ridicule. [Rev. J.P. Mahaffy, "A History of Classical Greek Literature," London, 1895]

The origin of Greek komos is uncertain; perhaps it is from a PIE *komso- "praise," and cognate with Sanskrit samsa "praise, judgment." Beekes suggests Pre-Greek. The old derivation from kome "village" is not now regarded.

The classical sense of the word was "amusing play or performance with a happy ending," which is similar to the modern one, but in the Middle Ages the word meant poems and stories generally (albeit ones with happy endings), such as Dante's "Commedia." The revival of learning 16c. recovered the ancient comedies and shifted the sense of the word to "branch of drama addressing primarily the humorous and ridiculous" (opposed to tragedy). In 18c. this was somewhat restricted to "humorous, but not grossly comical, drama" (opposed to farce).

Comedy aims at entertaining by the fidelity with which it presents life as we know it, farce at raising laughter by the outrageous absurdity of the situation or characters exhibited, & burlesque at tickling the fancy of the audience by caricaturing plays or actors with whose style it is familiar. [Fowler]

The meaning "comic play or drama" is from 1550s (the first modern comedy in English usually is said to be Nicholas Udall's "Ralph Roister Doister"). The extended sense "humorous or comic incident or events in life" is from 1560s. The generalized sense of "quality of being amusing" dates from 1877.