/hyooh"meuh niz'euhm/ or, often, /yooh"-/ , n.
1. any system or mode of thought or action in which human interests, values, and dignity predominate.
2. devotion to or study of the humanities.
3. ( sometimes cap. ) the studies, principles, or culture of the humanists.
4. Philos. a variety of ethical theory and practice that emphasizes reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world and often rejects the importance of belief in God.
[ 1805-15; HUMAN + -ISM ]