man

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "man", -man, and Man

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English man, from Old English mann m (“human being, person, man”), from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann- m (“human being, man”). Doublet of Manu.

Alternative forms[edit]

  • (singular): mang (dialectal rendering, suggesting a Spanish accent), mans (slang), mon (slang, used in the vocative, in places such as Jamaica and Shropshire in England), mxn (rare, feminist)
  • (plural): mans (Multicultural London English, Toronto, nonstandard, proscribed), mens, man, mandem (Multicultural London English),[1] mens (nonstandard, African-American Vernacular), mxn (rare, feminist), myn (very rare, chiefly humorous)
  • (interjection): maaan (elongated)

Noun[edit]

man (plural men)

  1. An adult male human.
    The show is especially popular with middle-aged men.
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, Henry V, act 4, scene 1:
      The king is but a man, as I am; the violet smells to him as it doth to me.
    • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 639762314:
      “ […] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:man.
  2. (collective) All human males collectively: mankind.
    • 2011, Eileen Gray and the Design of Sapphic Modernity: Staying In, page 109:
      Unsurprisingly, if modern man is a sort of camera, modern woman is a picture.
  3. A human, a person regardless of gender, usually an adult. (See usage notes.)
    every man for himself
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2, act 4, scene 2:
      […] a man cannot make him laugh.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Romans 12:17:
      Recompence to no man euill for euill.
    • 1624, John Donne, “17. Meditation”, in Deuotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes: […], London: Printed by A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Thomas Iones, OCLC 55189476; republished as Geoffrey Keynes, John Sparrow, editor, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions: […], Cambridge: At the University Press, 1923, OCLC 459265555, lines 2–3, page 98:
      No man is an Iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; […]
    • c. 1700, Joseph Addison, Monaco, Genoa, &c., page 9:
      A man would expect, in so very ancient a town of Italy, to find some considerable antiquities; but all they have to show of this nature is an old Rostrum of a Roman ship, that stands over the door of their arsenal.
    • 1991 edition (original: 1953), Darell Huff, How to Lie with Statistics, pages 19–20:
      Similarly, the next time you learn from your reading that the average man (you hear a good deal about him these days, most of it faintly improbable) brushes his teeth 1.02 times a day—a figure I have just made up, but it may be as good as anyone else's – ask yourself a question. How can anyone have found out such a thing? Is a woman who has read in countless advertisements that non-brushers are social offenders going to confess to a stranger that she does not brush her teeth regularly?
    • 2021 January 20, Amanda Gorman, "The Hill We Climb":
      We are striving to forge our union with purpose. To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.
  4. (collective) All humans collectively: mankind, humankind, humanity. (Sometimes capitalized as Man.)
    • 1647, Westminster Shorter Catechism, question 10:
      How did God create man?
      God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.
    • 1991, Barry J. Blake, Australian Aboriginal Languages: A General Introduction, page 75:
      Academics who study Aboriginal languages are [...] contributing to Man’s search for knowledge, a search that interests most people even if they are not personally involved in it.
    • 2013 July 20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
      Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless.
  6. (anthropology, archaeology, paleontology) A member of the genus Homo, especially of the species Homo sapiens.
    • 1990, The Almanac of Science and Technology →ISBN, page 68:
      The evidence suggests that close relatives of early man, in lineages that later became extinct, also were able to use tools.
  7. A male person, usually an adult; a (generally adult male) sentient being, whether human, supernatural, elf, alien, etc.
    • c. 1500, A Gest of Robyn Hode, in the Child Ballads:
      For God is holde a ryghtwys man.
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing, act 3, scene 5:
      God's a good man.
    • 1609, Ben Jonson, Epicœne, or The silent woman:
      Expect: But was the devil a proper man, gossip?
      As fine a gentleman of his inches as ever I saw trusted to the stage, or any where else.
    • 2008, Christopher Paolini, Brisingr: Or The Seven Promises of Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular - Inheritance Book Three (→ISBN), page 549:
      Clearing a space between the tables, the men tested their prowess against one another with feats of wrestling and archery and bouts with quarterstaves. Two of the elves, a man and a woman, demonstrated their skill with swordplay— […]
    • 2014, Oisin McGann, Kings of the Realm: Cruel Salvation, Penguin UK (→ISBN):
      There was a pair of burly dwarves – a woman and a man – bearing the markings of the formidable Thane Guards.
  8. An adult male who has, to an eminent degree, qualities considered masculine, such as strength, integrity, and devotion to family; a mensch.
    • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “In The Enemy’s Camp”, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, OCLC 702939134, part VI (Captain Silver), page 234:
      He’s more a man than any pair of rats of you in this here house […]
    • 2011, Timothy Shephard, Can We Help Us?: Growing Up Bi-Racial in America →ISBN, page 181:
      I had the opportunity to marry one of them but wasn't mature enough to be a man and marry her and be close to the […] children and raise them […].
  9. (uncountable, obsolete, uncommon) Manliness; the quality or state of being manly.
  10. A husband.
  11. A lover; a boyfriend.
  12. A male enthusiast or devotee; a male who is very fond of or devoted to a specified kind of thing. (Used as the last element of a compound.)
    Some people prefer apple pie, but me, I’m a cherry pie man.
  13. A person, usually male, who has duties or skills associated with a specified thing. (Used as the last element of a compound.)
    I wanted to be a guitar man on a road tour, but instead I’m a flag man on a road crew.
  14. A person, usually male, who can fulfill one's requirements with regard to a specified matter.
    • 2007, Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night →ISBN, page 553:
      "She's the man for the job."
    • 2008, Soccer Dad: A Father, a Son, and a Magic Season →ISBN, page 148:
      Joanie volunteered, of course — if any dirty job is on offer requiring running, she's your man —
    • 2012, The Island Caper: A Jake Lafferty Action Novel →ISBN, page 34:
      He also owns the only backhoe tractor on Elbow Cay, so whenever anyone needs a cistern dug, he's their man.
  15. A male who belongs to a particular group: an employee, a student or alumnus, a representative, etc.
    • 1909, Harper's Weekly, volume 53, page iii:
      When President Roosevelt goes walking in the country about Washington he is always accompanied by two Secret Service men.
    • 1913, Robert Herrick, One Woman's Life, page 46:
      "And they're very good people, I assure you — he's a Harvard man." It was the first time Milly had met on intimate terms a graduate of a large university.
  16. An adult male servant.
  17. (historical) A vassal; a subject.
    Like master, like man.
    (old proverb)
    all the king's men
    • c. 1700s, William Blackstone:
      The vassal, or tenant, kneeling, ungirt, uncovered, and holding up his hands between those of his lord, professed that he did become his man from that day forth, of life, limb, and earthly honour.
    • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., OCLC 222716698, page 46:
      No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.
  18. A piece or token used in board games such as chess.
    • 1883, Henry Richter, Chess Simplified!, page 4:
      The white men are always put on that side of the board which commences by row I, and the black men are placed opposite.
  19. A term of familiar address often implying on the part of the speaker some degree of authority, impatience, or haste.
    Come on, man, we've got no time to lose!
  20. A friendly term of address usually reserved for other adult males.
    Hey, man, how's it goin'?
  21. (sports) A player on whom another is playing, with the intent of limiting their attacking impact.
    • 2018 Dinny Navaratnam, Andrews will learn from experience: Fagan Brisbane Lions, 30 July 2018. Accessed 6 August 2018.
      "It was a brutal return to football for Brisbane Lions defender Harris Andrews as his man Tom Hawkins booted seven goals but Lions Coach Chris Fagan said the team's defensive faults, rather than the backman's, allowed the big Cat to dominate."
Usage notes[edit]
  • The use of “man” (compare Old English: mann, wer, wīf) to mean both “human (of any gender)” and “adult male”, which developed after Old English’s distinct term for the latter (wer) fell out of use, has been criticized since at least the second half of the twentieth century.[2] Critics claim that the use of “man”, both alone and in compounds, to denote a human or any gender “is now often regarded as sexist or at best old-fashioned”,[2] “flatly discriminatory in that it slights or ignores the membership of women in the human race”.[3] The American Heritage Dictionary wrote that in 2004 75-79% of their usage panel still accepted sentences with generic man, and 86-87% accepted sentences with man-made.[4] Some style guides recommend against generic “man”,[5] and “although some editors and writers reject or disregard [...] objections to man as a generic, many now choose instead to use” human, human being or person instead.[3]
    • This generic usage is still preserved in certain dialects, pidgins, and creoles of English, as well as fixed expressions and certain religious documents and declarations such as the Nicene Creed (e.g. "...for us men and our salvation..."). Consideration of this has sometimes led to accusations of the critics of the generic man as enforcing linguistic prescriptivism.
  • See also the man
Synonyms[edit]
Coordinate terms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
  • See also Category:English words suffixed with -man
    • Related terms[edit]
    Descendants[edit]

    See also descendants of -man.

    • Tok Pisin: man
    • → Chinese: man
    • → Chinook Jargon: man
    • → Korean: 맨 (maen)
    • → Spanish: man
    • → Thai: แมน (mɛɛn)
    • → Volapük: man
    Translations[edit]
    See man/translations § Noun.
    See also[edit]

    Adjective[edit]

    man (not comparable)

    1. Only used in man enough

    Interjection[edit]

    man

    1. Used to place emphasis upon something or someone; sometimes, but not always, when actually addressing a man.
      Man, that was a great catch!
      • 2019 August 15, Bob Stanley, “'Groovy, groovy, groovy': listening to Woodstock 50 years on – all 38 discs”, in The Guardian‎[2]:
        The 19 meandering minutes of Dark Star are attractive enough but, man, they go on, while poor Creedence Clearwater Revival – headliners, with Bad Moon Rising still in the charts – are watching the clock tick in the wings.
      • For quotations using this term, see Citations:man.
    Translations[edit]
    See man/translations § Interjection.

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. (MLE, slang, personal pronoun) Used to refer to oneself or one's group: I, we; construed in the third person.
      • 2011, Top Boy:
        Sully: If it weren’t for that snake ... Man wouldn’t even be in this mess right now.
      • 2013, Jenny Cheshire, “Grammaticalisation in social context: The emergence of a new English pronoun”, in Journal of Sociolinguistics‎[3], volume 17, number 5, page 609:
        before I got arrested man paid for my own ticket to go Jamaica you know . but I’ve never paid to go on no holiday before this time I paid (Dexter, MLE)
    2. (MLE, slang, indefinite personal pronoun) Any person, one
      • c1450, Thomas Chestre, Libeaus Desconus
        He was of all colours Þat man may se of flours Be-twene Mydsomer and May.
      • 2013, Jenny Cheshire, “Grammaticalisation in social context: The emergence of a new English pronoun”, in Journal of Sociolinguistics‎[4], volume 17, number 5, pages 609:
        I don’t really mind how . how my girl looks if she looks decent yeah and there’s one bit of her face that just looks mashed yeah . I don’t care it’s her personality man’s looking at (Alex, Multicultural London English corpus [MLE])
    Usage notes[edit]

    The usage of man as pronoun originally died out in the 15th century. It has independently reappeared in Multicultural London English. There it is most commonly used as a first person pronoun or as an indefinite personal pronoun, but uses in the second and third person are also attested.[1]

    Etymology 2[edit]

    From Middle English mannen, from Old English mannian, ġemannian (“to man, supply with men, populate, garrison”), from mann (“human being, man”). Cognate with Dutch bemannen (“to man”), German bemannen (“to man”), Swedish bemanna (“to man”), Icelandic manna (“to supply with men, man”).

    Verb[edit]

    man (third-person singular simple present mans, present participle manning, simple past and past participle manned)

    1. (transitive) To supply (something) with staff or crew (of either sex).
      The ship was manned with a small crew.
    2. (transitive) To take up position in order to operate (something).
      Man the machine guns!
    3. (reflexive, possibly dated) To brace (oneself), to fortify or steel (oneself) in a manly way. (Compare man up.)
      • 1876, Julian Hawthorne, Saxon Studies:
        he manned himself heroically
    4. (transitive, obsolete) To wait on, attend to or escort.
    6. (transitive, obsolete, chiefly falconry) To accustom (a raptor or other type of bird) to the presence of people.
    Derived terms[edit]
    Translations[edit]
    See man/translations § Verb.

    References[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jenny Cheshire (2013), “Grammaticalisation in social context: The emergence of a new English pronoun”, in Journal of Sociolinguistics‎[1], volume 17, issue 5, page 608-33
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 “man”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 “man” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
    4. ^ American Heritage Dictionary, 5th edition
    5. ^ Purdue OWL

    Further reading[edit]

    Anagrams[edit]

    Abinomn[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. moon

    Afrikaans[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Dutch man, from Middle Dutch man, from Old Dutch man, from Proto-Germanic *mann.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man (plural mans or manne, diminutive mannetjie)

    1. man
    2. husband

    Usage notes[edit]

    • The normal plural in contemporary Afrikaans is mans. The form manne now usually refers to the members of a male group, such as a group of friends or a team or unit. Compare:
    Vroue en mans moet gelyke regte hê.
    Women and men must have equal rights.
    Die manne het goed gespeel vandag.
    The men played well today.

    Albanian[edit]

    Alternative forms[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    Syncopated form of Gheg mand, from Proto-Albanian *manta. Compare Ancient Greek βάτος (bátos, “bramble”), said by Beekes to be a Mediterranean wanderwort, and μαντία (mantía, “blackberry”) (Dacian loan).

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man m (indefinite plural mana, definite singular mani, definite plural manat)

    1. mulberry, mulberry tree

    Hyponyms[edit]

    Aragonese[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    Akin to Spanish mano, from Latin manus.

    Noun[edit]

    man f

    1. hand

    Arigidi[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. I, first person singular pronoun, as subject

    References[edit]

    • B. Oshodi, The HTS (High Tone Syllable) in Arigidi: An Introduction, in the Nordic Journal of African Studies 20(4): 263–275 (2011)

    Bagirmi[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. water

    References[edit]

    • R. C. Stevenson, Bagirmi Grammar (1969)

    Bariai[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. bird

    References[edit]

    Bikol Central[edit]

    Adverb[edit]

    man

    1. also

    Bonggo[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. bird

    References[edit]

    • George W. Grace, Notes on the phonological history of the Austronesian languages of the Sarmi Coast, in Oceanic Linguistics (1971, 10:11-37)

    Caló[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. Contraction of mangue (“I, me”).

    References[edit]

    • “man” in J. Tineo Rebolledo, A Chipicalli (La Llengua Gitana), Granada: Gómez de la Cruz, 1900, →OCLC, page 60.
    • “man” in Francisco Quindalé, Diccionario gitano, Madrid: Oficina Tipográfica del Hospicio.
    • “man” in Vocabulario : Caló - Español, Portal del Flamenco y Universidad.

    Cebuano[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    Compare Tagalog man

    Particle[edit]

    man

    1. gives information; could be omitted
      (Person 1): Hain man si Pedro?
      (Person 2): Tua man 'to siya sa Carcar
      (Person 1): Where is Pedro?
      (Person 2): He is/was there in Carcar
    2. contradicts a previous statement or presumption; usually with the particle ugod/gud
      (Person 1): Hain man si Pedro?
      (Person 2): Tua siya sa Carcar
      (Person 3 responding to person 2): Tua man gud siya sa Cebu
      (Person 1): Where is Pedro?
      (Person 2): He is in Carcar
      (Person 3): No, he's in Cebu
    3. makes a question not abrupt
      Hain man si Pedro?
      Where is Pedro?
      Could you tell me where Pedro is?

    Chinese[edit]

    Alternative forms[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    Borrowed from English man.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    • (Mandarin) IPA(key): /man⁵⁵/, /mɛn⁵⁵/
    • (Cantonese) IPA(key): /mɛːn⁵⁵/

    Adjective[edit]

    man

    1. (slang) manly; masculine

    Chinook Jargon[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    Borrowed from English man.

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. man

    Synonyms[edit]

    Antonyms[edit]

    Adjective[edit]

    man

    1. male

    Antonyms[edit]

    Chuukese[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. Alternative spelling of maan

    Cimbrian[edit]

    Alternative forms[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Middle High German man, from Old High German man, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

    Noun[edit]

    man m (Tredici Comuni)

    1. man
    2. husband

    References[edit]

    Czech[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Old Czech man, from Middle High German man.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    • IPA(key): [ˈman]
    • Hyphenation: man

    Noun[edit]

    man m anim (feminine manka)

    1. (historical) vassal, feoffee
      Synonyms: vazal, leník

    Declension[edit]

    Declension
    singular plural
    nominative man manové
    genitive mana manů
    dative manovi, manu manům
    accusative mana many
    vocative mane manové
    locative manovi, manu manech
    instrumental manem many

    Derived terms[edit]

    Further reading[edit]

    • man in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
    • man in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

    Danish[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    From Old Norse mǫn, from Proto-Germanic *manō (“mane”).

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man c (singular definite manen, plural indefinite maner)

    1. (rare, used primarily by horse specialists) mane (longer hair growth on the back of the neck of a horse)
      Synonym: manke
    Inflection[edit]
    Declension of man
    common
    gender     		Singular Plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative man manen maner manerne
    genitive mans manens maners manernes

    Etymology 2[edit]

    The same word as the noun mand (“man”). Calque of German man.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man (accusative en or én, possessive ens or éns)

    1. you, one, they, people (a general, unspecified person)
    2. I (used modestly instead of the first-person pronoun)
    3. you (used derogatorily instead of the second-person pronoun)

    Etymology 3[edit]

    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    • IPA(key): /maːˀn/, [ˈmæˀn]

    Verb[edit]

    man

    1. imperative of mane

    Dutch[edit]

    Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia nl

    Etymology[edit]

    From Middle Dutch man, from Old Dutch man, from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man m (plural mannen or man or mans, diminutive mannetje n or manneke n or manneken n)

    1. man, human male, either adult or age-irrespective
      De oude man en de zee.
      The Old Man and the Sea
    2. husband, male spouse

    Usage notes[edit]

    • The normal plural is mannen. The unchanged form man is used after numerals only; it refers to the size of a group rather than a number of individuals. For example: In totaal verloren er 5000 man hun leven in die slag. (“5000 men altogether lost their lives in that battle.”) The plural mans is dated, now mostly occurring in nautical contexts or in dialect.
    • Compound words with -man as their last component often take -lieden or -lui in the plural, rather than -mannen. For example: brandweerman (“firefighter”) → brandweerlieden (alongside brandweerlui and brandweermannen).
    • Various alternative diminutives exist, including manneke (used especially in Flanders) and the dialectal mannechie.

    Derived terms[edit]

    Related terms[edit]

    Descendants[edit]

    • Afrikaans: man
    • Jersey Dutch: mān
    • Negerhollands: man
      • → Virgin Islands Creole: mani (dated)

    Anagrams[edit]

    Faroese[edit]

    Verb[edit]

    man

    1. first/third-person singular present of munna
      I, he, she, it will / may

    Derived terms[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. (colloquial) one, they (indefinite third-person singular pronoun)

    Synonyms[edit]

    Friulian[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Latin manus.

    Noun[edit]

    man m (plural mans)

    1. hand

    Gaikundi[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. foot

    Further reading[edit]

    Galician[edit]

    Alternative forms[edit]

    • mão (reintegrationist spelling, lusista)
    • mam (reintegrationist spelling)
    • mao (central and eastern Galicia)

    Etymology[edit]

    From Old Galician and Old Portuguese mão, from Latin manus.

    Noun[edit]

    man f (plural mans)

    1. hand
    2. Synonym: figurative ownership; protection; power; grasp

    Derived terms[edit]

    Usage notes[edit]

    References[edit]

    • “mão” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006-2012.
    • “mãao” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006-2016.
    • “man” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
    • “man” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
    • “man” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

    German[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    From Middle High German man, from Old High German man, from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann- (“man”).

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. one, you (indefinite pronoun; construed as a third-person singular)
      Man kann nicht immer kriegen, was man will.
      You can’t always get what you want.
      Manchmal muss man Kompromisse machen.
      Sometimes one must compromise.
      • 2008, Frank Behmeta, Wenn ich die Augen öffne, page 55:
        Kann man es fühlen, wenn man schwanger ist?
        Can one feel that one is pregnant?
    2. they, people (people in general)
      Zumindest sagt man das so...
      At least that’s what they say...
    3. someone, somebody (some unspecified person)
    4. they (some unspecified group of people)
    Usage notes[edit]
    • Man is used in the nominative case only; for the oblique cases forms of the pronoun einer are used. For example: Man kann nicht immer tun, was einen glücklich macht. — One cannot always do what makes one happy.
    • Since man derives from the same source as Mann (“man; male”), its use is considered problematic by some feminists. They have proposed alternating man and the feminine neologism frau, or using the generic neologism mensch. This usage has gained some currency in feminist and left-wing publications, but remains rare otherwise.
    • In the sense of “someone,” man is often translated using the passive voice (“I was told that...” rather than “someone told me that...”).

    Etymology 2[edit]

    From Middle Low German man. A contraction of Old Saxon newan (“none other than”). Compare a similar contraction in Dutch maar (“only”).

    Adverb[edit]

    man

    1. (colloquial, regional, Northern Germany) just; only
      Komm man hier rüber!
      Just come over here!
      Das sind man dreißig Stück oder so.
      These are only thirty or so.

    German Low German[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Middle Low German man. A contraction of Old Saxon newan (“none other than”). Compare a similar contraction in Dutch maar (“only”).

    Conjunction[edit]

    man

    1. (in many dialects, including Low Prussian) only; but

    Synonyms[edit]

    • (in various dialects) avers, awer (and many variations thereof; for which, see those entries)
    • (in some dialects) bloots

    Gothic[edit]

    Romanization[edit]

    man

    1. Romanization of 𐌼𐌰𐌽

    Icelandic[edit]

    Quote-alpha.png This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes then please add them!

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    From Old Norse man, perhaps from Proto-Germanic *gamaną (with unstressed prefix *ga-).

    Noun[edit]

    man n (genitive singular mans, nominative plural mön)

    1. (obsolete, uncountable, collective) slaves
    2. (archaic, countable) a female slave
    3. (archaic or poetic, countable) maiden
    Declension[edit]
    declension of man
    n-s singular plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative man manið mön mönin
    accusative man manið mön mönin
    dative mani maninu mönum mönunum
    genitive mans mansins mana mananna
    Synonyms[edit]
    Derived terms[edit]

    Etymology 2[edit]

    From mana (“to dare [someone] [to do something]”).

    Noun[edit]

    man n (genitive singular mans, no plural)

    1. the act of daring someone to do something; provocation, dare
    Declension[edit]
    declension of man
    n-s singular
    indefinite definite
    nominative man manið
    accusative man manið
    dative mani maninu
    genitive mans mansins

    Etymology 3[edit]

    Appears in Guðbrandur Þorláksson’s 1584 Bible translation. Borrowed from German Man (in Luther’s 1534 German Bible), from Hebrew מן‎ (mān, “manna”).

    Noun[edit]

    man n (indeclinable)

    1. (biblical, obsolete) manna
      • 1584, Guðbrandur Þorláksson (translator), “Exodus. Aunnur Bok Moſe”, in Biblia, Þad Er Øll Heiloͤg Ritning vtloͤgd a Norrænu‎[5], Hólar: Jón Jónsson, chapter 16, verse 33, page 76:
        Og Moſes ſegde til Aaron / Tak þier eina Føtu / og legg eirn Gomor fullan af Man þar i / og lꜳt þad vardueitaſt fyrer DROTTNI til ydar ep[t]erkomande Kynkuijſla
        (please add an English translation of this quote)
    Synonyms[edit]

    Etymology 4[edit]

    Verb[edit]

    man

    1. first-person singular present indicative of muna; I remember
      Ég man ekki.
      I don't remember.
    2. third-person singular present indicative of muna; he/she/it remembers
      Hann man hvað gerðist.
      He remembers what happened.

    References[edit]

    • “man” in: 

    Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon — Íslensk orðsifjabók, 1st edition, 2nd printing (1989). Reykjavík, Orðabók Háskólans.


    Istriot[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Latin manus.

    Noun[edit]

    man m

    1. hand

    Japanese[edit]

    Romanization[edit]

    man

    1. Rōmaji transcription of まん
    2. Rōmaji transcription of マン

    Ladin[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Latin manus.

    Noun[edit]

    man f (plural mans)

    1. hand

    Latvian[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. to me; dative singular form of es

    Ligurian[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Latin manus.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man f (plural moæn)

    1. hand

    Lithuanian[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    mán

    1. (first-person singular) dative form of aš.
      Dúok mán tą̃ knỹgą.
      Give me that book.

    Lombard[edit]

    Alternative forms[edit]

    • ma, mà (Eastern orthographies)

    Etymology[edit]

    From Latin manus.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    • IPA(key): /maːn/, [maːŋ] (Western)
    • IPA(key): /maː/, [ma(ː)] (Eastern)

    Noun[edit]

    man f (plural man)

    1. hand

    Luxembourgish[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Verb[edit]

    man (third-person singular present meet, past participle gemat or gemeet, auxiliary verb hunn)

    1. (regional, southern dialects) Alternative form of maachen

    Mandarin[edit]

    Romanization[edit]

    man

    1. Nonstandard spelling of mān.
    2. Nonstandard spelling of mán.
    3. Nonstandard spelling of mǎn.
    4. Nonstandard spelling of màn.

    Usage notes[edit]

    • English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

    Middle Dutch[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Old Dutch man, from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

    Noun[edit]

    man m

    1. human
    2. person
    3. man, male
    4. husband
    5. subordinate

    Inflection[edit]

    This noun needs an inflection-table template.

    Derived terms[edit]

    - general:

    - persons:

    Descendants[edit]

    Further reading[edit]

    Middle English[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    From Old English man (“one, a person”).

    Alternative forms[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    2. Typically singular, indefinite pronoun: one, you (indefinite).
    Derived terms[edit]
    See also[edit]
    References[edit]

    Etymology 2[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. Alternative form of mon (“man”)

    Etymology 3[edit]

    Verb[edit]

    man

    1. (Late Middle English) Alternative form of mone (“shall”)

    Miskito[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. (singular) you

    See also[edit]

    Miskito personal pronouns
    Singular Plural
    First inclusive yawan
    exclusive yang yang nani
    Second man man nani
    Third witin witin nani

    Norman[edit]

    Norman Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia nrm

    Alternative forms[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    From Old French main, mein, man, from Latin manus (“hand”).

    Noun[edit]

    man f (plural mans)

    1. (France, anatomy) hand

    Etymology 2[edit]

    (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

    Adjective[edit]

    man (feminine ma)

    1. my (belonging to me)
    Coordinate terms[edit]
    • tan (“your”)
    • san (“hers, his, its”)

    North Frisian[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Old Frisian mīn, from Proto-West Germanic *mīn.

    Pronoun[edit]

    man m (feminine min, neuter min, plural min)

    1. (Föhr-Amrum) my

    Northern Kurdish[edit]

    Verb[edit]

    man

    1. to stay
    2. to remain

    Northern Sami[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. accusative/genitive singular of mii

    Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. you
    2. one
    3. they
    4. people

    Etymology 2[edit]

    From Old Norse mǫn, from Proto-Germanic *manō.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man f or m (definite singular mana or manen, indefinite plural maner, definite plural manene)

    1. a mane (of a horse)

    References[edit]

    Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Old Norse mǫn, from Proto-Germanic *manō.

    Noun[edit]

    man f (definite singular mana, indefinite plural maner, definite plural manene)

    1. mane (of a horse)

    References[edit]

    Occitan[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Old Occitan man, from Latin manus.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man f (plural mans)

    1. hand

    Old Dutch[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

    Noun[edit]

    man m

    1. human, person
    2. man, male

    Inflection[edit]

    Declension of man
    Singular Plural
    nominative man manna
    accusative man manna
    genitive mannis manno
    dative manne mannon

    Derived terms[edit]

    Descendants[edit]

    Further reading[edit]

    • “man (I)”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

    Old English[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    From mann.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. one, you (indefinite pronoun; construed as a third-person singular)
      Ne mæġ man simle beġietan þæt hē wile.
      You can't always get what you want.
      On þām ende, man swilt on his āgnum earmum.
      In the end, you die in your own arms.
      Mæġ man þæs fēlan þæt hēo bearnēacnu sīe?
      Can one feel that one is pregnant?
      • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The First Sunday in September, When Job Is Read"
        Man sċeal lǣwedum mannum seċġan be heora andġietes mǣðe, swā þæt hīe ne bēon þurh þā dēopnesse ǣmōde ne þurh þā langsumnesse ǣþrȳtte.
        You have to talk to laymen based on how much they understand, so they're not intimidated by the depth of what you're saying or bored by how long it is.
      • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Dedication of the Church of St. Michael"
        Sē hrōf ēac swelċe hæfde mislīċe hēanesse: on sumre stōwe hine man meahte mid hēafde ġerǣċan, on sumre mid handa earfoþlīċe.
        The height of the roof was also uneven: you could touch one part of it with the top of your head, and barely reach another part with your hand.
    2. they, people (people in general)
      Man cwiþ þæt gāstas sīen on þissum ealdan hūse.
      They say there's ghosts in this old house.
    3. someone, somebody (some unspecified person)
    4. they (some unspecified group of people)
      Þæt man mē sæġde.
      That's what they told me.
      Wilt þū ġesēon hū hine man ofslōg?
      Do you want to see how they killed him?
    5. often used where modern English would use the passive voice
      • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy
        Hine man sċeal lǣdan tō þām lǣċe.
        He should be taken to the doctor.
      • Early 11th century, Wulfstan, "On the Beginning of Creation"
        Þā sē Hǣlend ċild wæs, eall hine man fēdde swā man ōðru ċildru fētt. Hē læġ on cradole bewunden, ealswā ōðru ċildru dōþ. Hine man bær oþ hē self gān meahte.
        When Jesus was a baby, he was fed just like other babies are fed. He lay wrapped up in a cradle, just like other babies do. He was carried until he could walk by himself.
    Descendants[edit]

    Etymology 2[edit]

    See mann.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man m

    1. Alternative form of mann

    Etymology 3[edit]

    From Proto-Germanic *mainą.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    mān n

    1. crime, sin, wickedness
    Derived terms[edit]

    Old High German[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

    Noun[edit]

    man m

    1. man

    Descendants[edit]

    Old Norse[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man n (genitive mans, plural mǫn)

    1. household, house-folk, bondslaves
    2. bondwoman, female slave
    3. woman, maid
      • 900-1100, The Alvíssmál, verse 7:
        Sáttir þínar er ek vil snemma hafa
        ok þat gjaforð geta;
        eiga vilja heldr en án vera
        þat it mjallhvíta man.
        Quickly will I have your agreement
        and win the word of marriage;
        I would rather own than be without
        that pale maid.

    Declension[edit]

      Declension of man (strong a-stem)
    neuter singular plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative man manit mǫn mǫnin
    accusative man manit mǫn mǫnin
    dative mani maninu mǫnum mǫnunum
    genitive mans mansins mana mananna

    Derived terms[edit]

    Descendants[edit]

    References[edit]

    • Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic‎[6], Oxford: Clarendon Press

    Old Occitan[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Latin manus.

    Noun[edit]

    man f (oblique plural mans, nominative singular man, nominative plural mans)

    1. hand (anatomy)

    Descendants[edit]

    References[edit]

    Old Saxon[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

    Noun[edit]

    man m

    1. human, person
    2. man

    Synonyms[edit]

    Descendants[edit]

    • Middle Low German: man
      • German Low German: Mann

    Old Spanish[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Latin māne (“morning”).

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man f (plural manes)

    1. morning
      • c. 1200: Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 18r.
        Fue el dia ṫcero al alba dela man. ¬ vinẏerȯ truenos ¬ relȧpagos ¬ nuf grȧt ſobrel mȯt.
        It was the early morning of the third day, and there came thunder and flashes of lightning and a great cloud upon the mountain.

    Synonyms[edit]

    Papiamentu[edit]

    Paume de main.jpeg

    Etymology[edit]

    From Spanish mano.

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. hand

    Romani[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. accusative of me

    Sambali[edit]

    Adverb[edit]

    man

    1. also

    Saterland Frisian[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    Borrowed from Middle Low German man. Related to German Low German man and Swedish men.

    Conjunction[edit]

    man

    1. but

    Adverb[edit]

    man

    1. but, just

    Etymology 2[edit]

    From an unstressed variant of Old Frisian mon (“man”). Compare Dutch men and German man.

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. one, they
      • 2000, Marron C. Fort, transl., Dät Näie Tästamänt un do Psoolme in ju aasterlauwerfräiske Uurtoal fon dät Seelterlound, Fräislound, Butjoarlound, Aastfräislound un do Groninger Umelounde [The New Testament and the Psalms in the East Frisian language, native to Saterland, Friesland, Butjadingen, East Frisia and the Ommelanden of Groningen], →ISBN, Dät Evangelium ätter Matthäus 1:23:
        Sjooët, n Maiden skäl n Bäiden undfange, n Súun skäl ju uurwinne, un man skäl him dän Nome Immanuel reke, dät hat uursät: God is mäd uus.
        Behold, a virgin shall become pregnant with a child, she will give birth to a son, and they shall give him the name Immanuel, which is translated: God is with us.
    Related terms[edit]
    • Mon (“man, husband”)

    References[edit]

    • Marron C. Fort (2015), “man”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

    Scottish Gaelic[edit]

    Preposition[edit]

    man

    1. Alternative form of mar

    Usage notes[edit]

    • Unlike mar, man does not lenite the following word.

    Spanish[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    English man

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man m (plural men)

    1. (Latin America, colloquial) man, guy, dude
      Synonyms: tipo, tío; see also Thesaurus:tío
      • 2017, “Bella”, performed by Wolfine:
        Me dijeron que andabas un poco triste / Que te pusiste a beber y con un man por ahí te fuiste
        (please add an English translation of this quote)

    Further reading[edit]

    Sranan Tongo[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From English man.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. man, male human
      A man no ben man taki. ― The man could not speak.

    Derived terms[edit]

    Verb[edit]

    man

    1. to be able to
      A man no ben man taki. ― The man could not speak.

    Synonyms[edit]

    Sumerian[edit]

    Romanization[edit]

    man

    1. Romanization of 𒎙 (man)

    Swedish[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    From Old Swedish maþer, mander, from Old Norse maðr, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man m

    1. man (adult male human)
      En man går på gatan.
      A man walks on the street.
      Ungefär hundra män deltog i loppet.
      Around one hundred men took part in the race.
    2. husband
      Vi går till caféet med våra män.
      We go to the café with our husbands.
    3. a member of a crew, workforce or (military) troop
      I äldre tider sa man att björnen ägde sju mans styrka men en mans vett.
      In older times, they said the bear has the strength of seven men but the sense of one man.
    Declension[edit]
    Declension of man 1, 2, 3
    Singular Plural
    Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
    Nominative man mannen män männen
    Genitive mans mannens mäns männens
    Declension of man 3
    Singular Plural
    Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
    Nominative man mannen mannar, man mannarna
    Genitive mans mannens mannars, mans mannarnas
    Derived terms[edit]
    Derived terms

    See also[edit]

    (husband): make, gemål

    Usage notes[edit]

    (adult male human): The unchanged plural man is sometimes used after numerals. It means "men" as a measure for size or strength of a group rather than individuals:

    Med tre man kan vi lyfta byrån ― With three people we can lift the cupboard
    Military or police personnel, team members, demonstrators and the like are often counted using this unchanged plural. The same goes with German where Mann can have an unchanged plural form in this particular case.

    (husband): Not used in other contexts, where could be confused with a man in general.

    Pronoun[edit]

    man c

    1. (indefinite) one, they; people in general
      Vad man kan se
      What one can see
    Declension[edit]

    See Template:sv-decl-ppron for more pronouns.

    Derived terms[edit]

    Etymology 2[edit]

    From Old Swedish man, from Old Norse mǫn, from Proto-Germanic *manō.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man c

    1. mane (of a horse or lion)
    Declension[edit]
    Declension of man 
    Singular Plural
    Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
    Nominative man manen manar manarna
    Genitive mans manens manars manarnas

    Anagrams[edit]

    Tagalog[edit]

    Adverb[edit]

    man

    1. although; even if; even though
    2. also

    Tarpia[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. bird

    References[edit]

    • George W. Grace, Notes on the phonological history of the Austronesian languages of the Sarmi Coast, in Oceanic Linguistics (1971, 10:11-37)

    Tok Pisin[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From English man.

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. man (adult male human)
      • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 2:5:
        ...i no gat diwai na gras samting i kamap long graun yet, long wanem, em i no salim ren i kam daun yet. Na i no gat man bilong wokim gaden.
        →New International Version translation

    Adjective[edit]

    man

    1. male
    This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. Tok Pisin is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

    Antonyms[edit]

    Derived terms[edit]

    Torres Strait Creole[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From English man.

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. husband
    2. a married man
    3. any man

    Venetian[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Latin manus.

    Noun[edit]

    man f (invariable)

    1. hand

    Vietnamese[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    Sino-Vietnamese word from 瞞 (“to lie”). Also compare 謾 (“to deceive”).

    Adjective[edit]

    man

    1. (only in compounds) dishonest; false; untruthful
    Derived terms[edit]

    Etymology 2[edit]

    Sino-Vietnamese word from 蠻 (“barbarian; unreasonable”).

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. (derogatory, chiefly in compounds) a savage; barbarian
    Derived terms[edit]

    Etymology 3[edit]

    Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 萬 (“ten thousand”, SV: vạn). Doublet of muôn and vạn.

    Numeral[edit]

    man

    1. (archaic) ten thousand; myriad
      một man ― ten thousand
    Derived terms[edit]

    Volapük[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    Borrowed from the descendants of Proto-West Germanic *mann.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man (nominative plural mans)

    1. man (adult male human)

    Declension[edit]

    declension of man
    singular plural
    nominative man mans
    genitive mana manas
    dative mane manes
    accusative mani manis
    vocative 1 o man! o mans!
    predicative 2 manu manus
    • 1 status as a case is disputed
    • 2 in later, non-classical Volapük only

    Coordinate terms[edit]

    Derived terms[edit]

    Terms derived from man

    Welsh[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Middle Welsh mann, from Proto-Celtic *mendus (“mark, location”), from Proto-Indo-European *mend- (“physical defect, fault”), same source as Old Irish mennar (“blemish, stain”).

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man m or f (plural mannau)

    1. place

    Mutation[edit]

    Welsh mutation
    radical soft nasal aspirate
    man fan unchanged unchanged
    Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
    possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

    References[edit]

    • Ranko Matasović (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 264

    West Frisian[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Old Frisian man, from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man c (plural manlju or mannen, diminutive mantsje)

    1. man
      Coordinate term: frou
    2. husband
      Coordinate term: frou

    Further reading[edit]

    • “man (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

    Westrobothnian[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Old Norse meðan, from Proto-Germanic *medanō.

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Conjunction[edit]

    mān

    1. meanwhile, as long as, while, whilst
      tyst man jag sȯf
      be quiet while I sleep

    Alternative forms[edit]

    Wik-Mungkan[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. neck

    Derived terms[edit]

    Wolof[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    man

    1. I (first-person singular subject pronoun)

    See also[edit]

    Wolof personal pronouns
    singular subject plural subject singular object plural object
    1st person man nun ma nu
    2nd person yow yeen la leen
    3rd person moom ñoom ko leen

    Yola[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Middle English man, from Old English mann, from Proto-West Germanic *mann.

    Noun[edit]

    man

    1. man
    2. husband

    Antonyms[edit]

    References[edit]

    • Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith

    Zealandic[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Middle Dutch man, from Old Dutch man, from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

    Noun[edit]

    man m (plural mannen)

    1. man
    2. husband
    Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=man&oldid=65404323"