quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- mantis (n.)[mantis 词源字典]
- 1650s, "type of insect that holds its forelegs in a praying position" (especially the praying mantis, Mantis religiosa), Modern Latin, from Greek mantis, literally "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 Greek for some sort of grasshopper (Theocritus).[mantis etymology, mantis origin, 英语词源]
- mantissa (n.)
- decimal part of a logarithm, 1865, from Latin mantisa "a worthless addition, makeweight," perhaps a Gaulish word introduced into Latin via Etruscan (compare Old Irish meit, Welsh maint "size").
- mantle (n.)
- Old English mentel "loose, sleeveless cloak," from Latin mantellum "cloak" (source of Italian mantello, Old High German mantal, German Mantel, Old Norse mötull), perhaps from a Celtic source. Reinforced and altered 12c. by cognate Old French mantel "cloak, mantle; bedspread, cover" (Modern French manteau), also from the Latin source. Figurative sense "that which enshrouds" is from c. 1300. 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.
- mantle (v.)
- "to wrap in a mantle," early 13c.; figurative use from mid-15c., from mantle (n.) or from Old French manteler. Related: Mantled; mantling.
- mantra (n.)
- 1808, "that part of the Vedas which contains hymns," from Sanskrit mantra-s "sacred message or text, charm, spell, counsel," literally "instrument of thought," related to manyate "thinks," from PIE root *men- "to think" (see mind (n.)). Sense of "special word used for meditation" is first recorded in English 1956.
- mantua (n.)
- loose gown worn by women 17c.-18c., 1670s, from French manteau "cloak, mantle," from Old French mantel (see mantle); form influenced in English by Mantua, name of a city in Italy. Mantua-maker (1690s) became the general early 19c. term for "dressmaker."
- 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.
- manually (adv.)
- late 15c., from manual (adj.) + -ly (2).
- manubrium (n.)
- "handle-like process," 1848 in anatomy and zoology, from Latin manubrium "handle, hilt," properly "that which is held in the hand," from manus "hand" (see manual (adj.)).
- Manuel
- masc. proper name, short for Emmanuel.
- manufacture (n.)
- 1560s, "something made by hand," from Middle French manufacture, from Medieval Latin *manufactura (source of Italian manifattura, Spanish manufactura), from Latin manu, ablative of manus "hand" (see manual (adj.)) + factura "a working," from past participle stem of facere "to perform" (see factitious). Sense of "process of manufacturing" first recorded c. 1600. Related: Manufactures.
- manufacture (v.)
- 1680s, from manufacture (n.). Related: Manufactured; manufacturing; manufacturable.
- manufacturer (n.)
- 1719, "worker in a manufacturing establishment," agent noun from manufacture (v.). Meaning "one who employs workers in manufacturing" is from 1752.
- manumission (n.)
- c. 1400, from Old French manumission "freedom, emancipation," and directly from Latin manumissionem (nominative manumissio) "freeing of a slave," noun of action from past participle stem of manumittere "to set free," from the phrase manu mittere "release from control," from manu, ablative of manus "power of a master," literally "hand" (see manual (adj.)) + mittere "let go, release" (see mission).
- manumit (v.)
- early 15c., from Latin manumittere "to release, set at liberty, emancipate," literally "to send from one's 'hand'" (i.e. "control"); see manumission. Related: Manumitted; manumitting.
- manure (v.)
- c. 1400, "to cultivate land," also "to hold property," from Anglo-French meynoverer, Old French manouvrer "to work with the hands, cultivate; carry out; make, produce," from Medieval Latin manuoperare (see maneuver (n.)). Sense of "work the earth" led to "put dung on the soil" (1590s) and to the current noun meaning "dung spread as fertilizer," which is first attested 1540s. Until late 18c., however, the verb still was used in a figurative 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]
Related: Manured; manuring. - manure (n.)
- "dung or compost used as fertilizer," 1540s, see manure (v.).
- manuscript (n.)
- "document or book written by hand," 1590s (adj.), c. 1600 (n.), from Medieval Latin manuscriptum "document written by hand," from Latin manu scriptus "written by hand," from manu, ablative of manus "hand" (see manual (adj.)) + scriptus (neuter scriptum), past participle of scribere "to write" (see script (n.)). Abbreviation is MS, plural MSS.
- Manx
- 1798, earlier Manks (1620s), metathesized from Maniske (1570s) "of the Isle of Man," from Old Norse *manskr, from Man (from Old Irish Manu "Isle of Man") + suffix -iskr "ish." Manx cat, without a tail, first attested 1843.