Online Etymology Dictionary

manifold: O.E. monigfald (Anglian), manigfeald (W.Saxon), "varied in appearance," from manig "many" + -feald "fold." A common Gmc. compound (cf. O.Fris. manichfald, M.Du. menichvout, Swed. mångfalt, Goth. managfalþs), perhaps a loan-translation of L. multiplex (see multiply). Retains the original pronunciation of many. The noun in the mechanical sense of "pipe or chamber with several outlets" is from 1884; originally as manifold pipe (1857), in ref. to a type of musical instrument mentioned in the O.T.
manikin: 1570, "jointed figure used by artists," from Du. manneken, lit. "little man," dim. of man (n.).
Manila: 1690s, capital of the Philippines, gave its name (with altered spelling) to manilla hemp (1814), original source of manilla paper (1873).
manilla: variant of Manila, especially in manilla paper (1873).
manioc: 1560s, from Tupi mandioca, name for the root of the cassava plant.
manipulate: 1831, "to handle skillfully by hand," a back formation from manipulation. Of mental influence, from 1864. In mid-20c., it served as a euphemism for "masturbation." Related: Manipulated; manipulating.
manipulation: c.1730, "a method of digging ore," from Fr. manipulation, from manipule "handful" (a pharmacists' measure), from L. manipulus "handful, sheaf," from manus "hand" (see manual) + root of plere "to fill" (see plenary). Sense of "skillful handling of objects" is first recorded 1826; extended 1828 to "handling of persons" as well as objects.
manipulative: 1836, from manipulate + -ive.
manipulator: 1851, from manipulate with L. agent noun ending.
manitou: "spirit, supernatural being," 1690s, from Algonquin.
mankind: O.E. mancynn, from man (n.) + cynn "kin" (see kind (n.)).
manly: c.1200, "human," from man (n.). Sense of "possessing virtues proper to a male person" is from early 13c. Meaning "masculine" is attested from late 14c. Related: Manliness.
manna: O.E. borrowing from L.L. manna, from Gk. manna, from Heb. man, probably lit. "substance exuded by the tamarisk tree," but used in Gk. and L. specifically with ref. to the substance miraculously supplied to the Children of Israel during their wandering in the Wilderness (Ex. xvi.15). Meaning "spiritual nourishment" is attested from 1382.
mannequin: 1902, "model to display clothes," from Fr. mannequin, from Du. manneken (see manikin). A Fr. form of the same word that yielded Eng. manikin.
manner: late 12c., from Anglo-Fr. manere, from O.Fr. maniere (Fr. manière), from V.L. *manaria, from fem. of L. manuarius "belonging to the hand," from manus "hand" (see manual). Most figurative meanings derive from the original sense of "method of handling;" which was extended when the word was used to translate L. modus "method." To the manner born ("Hamlet" I iv.15) is generally used incorrectly, and means "destined by birth to be subject to the custom."
mannered: mid-15c., "having manners of one kind or another," from manner. Later, especially, "well-mannered."
mannerism: "excessive use of distinctive methods in art or literature," 1803, from manner. Meaning "an instance of mannerism, habitual peculiarity" is from 1819. Mannerist in this sense is attested from 1690s. Related: Mannerisms.
manners: "external behavior in social intercourse," late 14c., pl. of manner.
"Under bad manners, as under graver faults, lies very commonly an overestimate of our special individuality, as distinguished from our generic humanity." [Oliver W. Holmes, "The Professor at the Breakfast Table," 1858]
mannish: O.E. mennisc "human, human-like," from P.Gmc. *mannisko- (cf. O.H.G. mennisc, Goth. mannisks); in some cases a new formation from man (n.) + -ish. Of women, from late 14c. Of adult males (opposed to childish) from 1520s.
mano a mano: 1970s, from Sp., lit. "hand-to-hand."
manoeuvre: also manoeuver, alt. spelling of maneuver. Also see oe; -re. Related: manoeuvres; manoeuvring.
manometer: 1730, from Fr. manomètre (1706), from Gk. manos "thin, rare" + -mètre (see meter (3)).
manor: late 13c., "mansion, habitation, country residence, principal house of an estate," from Anglo-Fr. maner, from O.Fr. manoir "manor," noun use of maneir "to dwell," from L. manere "to stay, abide." As a unit of territorial division in Britain and some American colonies (usually "land held in demesne by a lord, with tenants") it is attested from 1530s.
manpower: 1862, from man (n.) + power.
manque (adj.): 1778, from Fr. manqué (fem. manquée), pp. of manquer "to miss, be lacking."
mansard: 1734, from Fr. mansarde, short for toit à la mansarde, named for Fr. architect Nicholas François Mansart (1598-1666).
manse: late 15c., from M.L. mansus "dwelling house; amount of land sufficient for a family," related to mansio (see mansion).
manservant: 1550s, from man (n.) + servant.
mansion: mid-14c., "the chief residence of a lord," from O.Fr. mansion, from L. mansionem (nom. mansio) "a staying, a remaining, night quarters, station," from manere "to stay, abide," from PIE *men- "to remain, wait for" (cf. Gk. menein "to remain," Pers. mandan "to remain"). Sense of "any large and stately house" is from 1510s.
manslaughter: c.1300, from O.E. mannslæht (Anglian), mannslieht (W.Saxon), from man (q.v.) + slæht, slieht "act of killing." Etymologically identical with homicide, but in legal use usually distinguished from murder and restricted to "simple homicide."
mansuetude: "tameness, gentleness, mildness," late 14c., from L. mansuetudo "tameness," from mansuetus, pp. of mansuescere "to tame," lit. "to accustom to the hand," from manus "hand" (see manual) + suescere "to accustom, habituate," from PIE *swdh-sko-, from base *s(w)e- (see idiom).
manta: very large ray, also called devilfish, 1760, from Sp. manta "blanket" (1748 in this sense, specifically in ref. to a type of wrap or cloak worn by Spaniards), from L. mantellum "cloak" (see mantle). The ray so called "for being broad and long like a quilt" [Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, "A Voyage to South America"].
mantel: 1489, "short, loose, sleeveless cloak," variant of mantle (q.v.). Sense of "movable shelter for soldiers besieging a fort" is from 1524. Meaning "timber or stone supporting masonry above a fireplace" first recorded 1519, a shortened form of M.E. mantiltre "mantletree" (1482). Mantelpiece is from 1686.
mantic: 1850, from Gk. mantikos, from mantis "prophet," lit. "one touched by divine madness" (see mantis).
manticore: c.1300, from L. manticora, from Gk. mantikhoras, corruption of martikhoras, said to be from an O.Pers. word for "man eater," cf. martiya- "man" + root of khvar- "to eat." Fabulous monster with the body of a lion, head of a man, porcupine quills, and tail or sting of a scorpion.
mantilla: 1717, from Sp. mantilla, dim. of manta (see manta).
mantis: 1658, "type of insect that holds its forelegs in a praying position" (esp. the praying mantis, Mantis religiosa), from Gk. mantis, lit. "one who divines, a seer, prophet," from mainesthai "be inspired," related to menos "passion, spirit" (see mania). The insect so called for its way of holding the forelimbs as if in prayer. Also used in Gk. for some sort of grasshopper (Theocritus).
mantissa: decimal part of a logarithm, 1641, from L. mantisa "a worthless addition, makeweight," probably from a Gaulish word introduced into L. via Etruscan (cf. O.Ir. meit, Welsh maint "size").
mantle: O.E. mentel "loose, sleeveless cloak," from L. mantellum "cloak," perhaps from a Celtic source. Reinforced and altered 12c. by O.Fr. mantel (Fr. manteau), from the L. source. Allusive use for "symbol of literary authority or artistic pre-eminence" is from Elijah's mantle [2 Kings ii.13]. As a layer of the earth between the crust and core (though not originally distinguished from the core) it is attested from 1940. The verb meaning "to wrap as in a mantle" is attested from mid-15c.
mantra: 1808, "that part of the Vedas which contains hymns," from Skt. mantra-s "sacred message or text, charm, spell, counsel," lit. "instrument of thought," related to manyate "thinks." Sense of "special word used for meditation" is first recorded in Eng. 1956.
mantua: "loose gown worn by women 17c.-18c.," 1678, from Fr. manteau "cloak, mantle," from O.Fr. mantel (see mantle); form infl. in Eng. by Mantua, name of a city in Italy. Mantua-maker (1694) became the general early 19c. term for "dressmaker."
manual (adj.): c.1400, from L. manualis "of or belonging to the hand," from manus "hand, strength, power over, armed force, handwriting," from PIE *men- "hand, to take in one's hand" (cf. O.E. mund "hand, protection, guardian," Ger. Vormund "guardian," Gk. mane "hand"). Related: Manually.
manual (n.): early 15c., "service book used by a priest," from O.Fr. manuel, from L.L. manuale "case or cover of a book, handbook," neut. of L. manualis (see manual (adj.)). Meaning "a concise handbook" of any sort is from 1530s.
Manuel: masc. proper name, short for Emmanuel (q.v.).
manufacture (n.): 1560s, "something made by hand," from M.Fr. manufacture, from M.L. *manufactura, from L. manu, abl. of manus "hand" (see manual) + factura "a working," from pp. stem of facere "to perform" (see factitious). Sense of "process of manufacturing" first recorded c.1600. The verb is attested from 1680s. Related: Manufactured; manufactures; manufacturing.
manufacturer: 1719, "worker in a manufacturing establishment," from manufacture (q.v.). Meaning "one who employs workers in manufacturing" is from 1752.
manumission: early 15c., from L. manumissionem (nom. manumissio) "freeing of a slave," noun of action from manumittere "to set free," from manu mittere "release from control," from manu, abl. of manus "power of a master," lit. "hand" (see manual) + mittere "let go, release."
manumit: mid-15c., from L. manumittere, lit. "to send from one's 'hand'" (i.e. "control"); see manumission. Related: Manumitted.
manure (v.): c.1400, "to cultivate land," also "to hold property," from Anglo-Fr. meynoverer, from O.Fr. manouvrer "to work with the hands," from M.L. manuoperare, from L. manu operari, from manu, abl. of manus "hand" (see manual) + operari "to work, operate" (see operation). Sense of "work the earth" led to "put dung on the soil" (1599) and to the current noun meaning "dung spread as fertilizer," which is first attested 1549. Until late 18c., however, the verb still was used in a fig. sense of "to cultivate the mind, train the mental powers."
"It is ... his own painfull study ... that manures and improves his ministeriall gifts." [Milton, 1641]
manuscript: 1597, from M.L. manuscriptum, from L. manu scriptus "written by hand," from manu, abl. of manus "hand" (see manual) + scriptus, pp. of scribere "to write" (see script). Abbreviation is MS, plural MSS.