manual
pronunciation
How to pronounce manual in British English:
UK [ˈmænjuəl]
How to pronounce manual in American English:
US [ˈmænjuəl]
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- Noun:
- a small handbook
- (military) a prescribed drill in handling a rifle
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- Adjective:
- of or relating to the hands
- requiring human effort
- doing or requiring physical work
Word Origin
- manual
- manual: [15] The Latin word for ‘hand’ was manus (it came from an Indo-European base *mə n-, and its modern descendants include French main, Italian and Spanish mano, and Romanian mîna). It has contributed generously to English vocabulary, and manual (from the Latin adjective manuālis) is among its least heavily disguised derivatives.Others include amanuensis [17] (from the Latin phrase servus ā manū ‘servant at hand(writing)’, hence ‘secretary’); emancipate; manacle [14] (from Latin manicula ‘little hand’); manage; mandate (and its relatives command, demand, etc); manicure [19]; manifest; manipulate [19] (from Latin manipulus ‘handful’); manner; manoeuvre; manufacture [16] (ultimately from Latin manū factum ‘made by hand’); manure; manuscript [16] (in Latin literally ‘written by hand’); mastiff; and possibly masturbate [17], which comes from Latin masturbārī, perhaps a lexicalization of the phrase manū stuprāre ‘defile with the hand’.=> amanuensis, command, demand, emancipate, manacle, manage, mandate, manifest, manipulate, manner, manoeuvre, manure, mastiff, masturbate, maundy, remand
- manual (adj.)
- c. 1400, from Latin manualis "of or belonging to the hand; that can be thrown by hand," from manus "hand, strength, power over; armed force; handwriting," from PIE *man- (2) "hand" (cognates: Old Norse mund "hand," Old English mund "hand, protection, guardian," German Vormund "guardian," Greek mane "hand").
- manual (n.)
- early 15c., "service book used by a priest," from Old French manuel "handbook" (also "plow-handle"), from Late Latin manuale "case or cover of a book, handbook," noun use of neuter of Latin manualis (see manual (adj.)). Meaning "a concise handbook" of any sort is from 1530s.
Antonym
Example
- 1. The national security agency has declassified its training manual for using common search engines as a research tool .
- 2. It is part self-help manual , part psychology text .
- 3. You have now completed a manual version of hdr using layers .
- 4. This is the main manual of the public relations industry .
- 5. Nobody 's born with an instruction manual for life .