humane

 
Pronunciation: /hjʊˈmeɪn/

adjective

  • 1having or showing compassion or benevolence: regulations ensuring the humane treatment of animals
  • inflicting the minimum of pain: humane methods of killing
  • 2 formal (of a branch of learning) intended to have a civilizing effect on people: the humane education of literary study

Derivatives

humanely

adverb

humaneness

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: the earlier form of human, restricted to the senses above in the 18th century