In fact, the translation of Latin homo- as 'man' reveals more about the sexism of English speakers than Latin speakers. In Latin, homo (genitive hominis) meant 'human' rather than 'male', so the translation 'man' is the generic sense of the English word. More accurately, the etymology of Latin homo would mean 'earthling' -- from the Indo-European locative form of the word for 'earth': *dhghom-on- 'the one on the earth', in contrast with *deyw-os 'the one in the sky' = deus 'god'.

Other words from this same Indo-European root *dhghem- 'earth' include chthonic, chameleon ('lion of the ground') from Greek; Latin humus 'earth'; and Old English guma 'human' which survives today only in altered form in the word 'bride-groom' (originally 'bride-goom').