Hu-mān'i-ty, n.

n. [Lat. humanitas, Fr. humanité, Pr. humanitat, Sp. humanidad, It. umanità].

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.

If he is able to untie those knots, he is able to teach all humanity. Glanville. 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; kindness; benevolence; especially, a disposition to relieve persons in distress, and to treat all creatures with tenderness.
4. Mental cultivation befitting man; liberal education; instruction in classical and polite literature. “Being polished with humanity and the study of witty sciences.” Holland.
5. (pl.) The branches of polite or elegant learning, as language, grammar, rhetoric, poetry, and the study of the ancient classics; belles-lettres. [Scot.] “Philology or polite literature, or the humanities, as they are called.” Jortin.