English
mankind
Mankind comes from Middle English mankynde ‘Humankind, humanity’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *mon- ‘man’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mon-‘man’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mann-‘human’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*manakunjąreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150mancynn‘humanity, mankind’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mankynde‘Humankind, humanity’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611mankind
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mon-‘man’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mann-‘human’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*manakunjąreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150mancynn‘humanity, mankind’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mankynde‘Humankind, humanity’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611mankind
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind:…”
Proto-Germanic *mann- ‘human being, person, man’
Proto-West Germanic *mann ‘person’
Old English mann ‘human being, person, man’
Middle English man
English man
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’
…
Proto-Germanic *kunją ‘race, generation, descent’
Proto-West Germanic *kuni ‘family, kin’
Old English cynn ‘kind, sort, rank’
Middle English kyn ‘a family’
English kin
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mon- ‘man’
mush, mannequin, mannish, 14 more
through Proto-Germanic *mann- ‘human’
men, man, chairman, mann, madman, horseman, mensch, munchkin, shipman, manfully, 15 more
Today it means
noun The human race in its entirety.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mon- / mankind