Etymograph

English

inhuman

Inhuman comes from Latin inhūmānus, from hūmānus ‘human’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰmṓ1‘human’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hemō2uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhemō2uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhomō1‘human’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhūmānus3‘human’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinhūmānus4
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600inhumain4
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500inhumayne4
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1832inhuman4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin humanus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin homo
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin inhumanus
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English inhuman
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1832, David Herbert Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover: “When he was out among men, seeking his own…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰmṓWiktionary, Latin humanus‘human’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hemōWiktionary, Latin homouncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhemōWiktionary, Latin homouncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhomōWiktionary, Latin humanus‘human’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhūmānusWiktionary, Latin inhumanus‘human’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinhūmānusWiktionary, English inhuman
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600inhumainWiktionary, English inhuman
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500inhumayneWiktionary, English inhuman
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1832inhumanWiktionary, English inhuman. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1832, David Herbert Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover: “When he was out among men, seeking his own…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ ‘human’

goon, 14 more

through Latin hemō

homophobia, 9 more

through Latin homō ‘human’

homo, homage, hombre, ombre, omi, homunculus, humanely, hominin, 9 more

through Latin hūmānus ‘human’

humanity, humane, humanoid, 5 more

Today it means

adj Of or pertaining to inhumanity and the indifferently cruel, sadistic or barbaric behavior it brings.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “inhuman”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin humanus, Latin homo, Latin inhumanus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ / inhuman

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