all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
"all the world loves a lover"
"she always used `humankind' because `mankind' seemed to slight the women"
The human race in its entirety.
"Throughout history, mankind has shown an incredible capacity for both great cruelty and profound compassion."
In plain English: Mankind is another word for all human beings, especially when talking about people as a whole group throughout history.
"Mankind has made great progress in space exploration over the last few decades."
The 114th sura (chapter) of the Quran
"The Islamic tradition holds that mankind is named after the story told in the 114th sura of the Quran."
From Middle English mankynde, alteration (due to kynde = "kind, nature, sort") of earlier mankyn, from Old English mancynn. Equivalent to man + kin, and/or man + -kind. Cognate with Scots mankind, Middle High German mankünne, Danish mandkøn, Icelandic mannkyn ("mankind"). See also mankin.