Anthropos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. The human species as a whole, encompassing all aspects of humanity and human nature
  2. A term relating to mankind, often used in discussions of humanity's characteristics and cultural development
  3. Referring to the collective traits, behaviors, and societies of human beings, typically in a philosophical or anthropological context

Etymology: The Ancient Greek "ánthrōpos" was a common word for a human being, male or female, and it carried no special philosophical weight in everyday speech. Its component parts are often explained as "anēr" (man) with an element connected to "ōps" (face or eye), though that breakdown is debated among scholars and should be treated as uncertain rather than settled. In English, the word appears as a borrowed term rather than a native one, and it is most familiar today in scientific and anthropological writing, where it names the human species or the human as a category of being. It is also the root of many modern coinages such as "anthropology" and "philanthropy," which combine it with other Greek elements.

Synonyms: human, man, person, human being, homo sapiens

Antonyms: animal, nonhuman