human-made
|hu-man-made|
/ˈhjuːmənˌmeɪd/
made by people
Etymology
'human-made' originates from English, specifically the words 'human' + 'made', where 'human' ultimately comes from Latin 'humanus' meaning 'of man, human' and 'made' comes from Old English 'macian' meaning 'to make'.
'human' passed from Latin 'humanus' into Old French as 'humain' and into Middle English before becoming modern English 'human'; 'made' is the past participle of Old English 'macian' (to make), which became Middle English 'maken/made' and then modern 'make/made'. The compound 'human-made' is a modern English formation combining these elements.
Initially the components meant 'of man' (human) and 'to make' (made); combined, the phrase's basic meaning 'made by humans' has remained stable, though usage has extended (e.g., to technical or environmental senses like 'human-made climate change').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
made, produced, or caused by humans rather than occurring naturally.
The museum displays human-made artifacts alongside fossils.
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Adjective 2
caused by people (used especially in environmental contexts, e.g., human-made climate change or human-made pollution).
Scientists study human-made climate change to propose mitigation strategies.
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Last updated: 2025/10/11 15:34