TranslingualEdit

SymbolEdit

man

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Mandingo.

EnglishEdit

 
A man

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

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 formsEdit

  • (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)

NounEdit

man (plural men)

  1. An adult male human.
    The show is especially popular with middle-aged men.
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
      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:
      [] 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 or sex, usually an adult. (See usage notes.)
    every man for himself
  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[2], 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.
  5. (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.
  6. 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.
    • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:
      God's a good man.
    • 1609 December (first performance), Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Epicoene, or The Silent Woman. A Comœdie. []”, in The Workes of Ben Jonson (First Folio), London: [] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
      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.
  7. 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, 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 [].
  8. (uncountable, obsolete, uncommon) Manliness; the quality or state of being manly.
  9. A husband.
  10. A male lover; a boyfriend.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. An adult male servant.
  16. (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, 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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!
  19. A friendly term of address usually reserved for other adult males.
    Hey, man, how's it goin'?
  20. (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."
    • 2023 March 26, Phil McNulty, “England 2-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport[3]:
      The second arrived three minutes later and was all Saka's own work, the Arsenal winger turning away from his man on the edge of the area and curling a superb effort beyond the reach of Anatoliy Trubin and into the top corner.
Usage notesEdit
  • 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
SynonymsEdit
Coordinate termsEdit
Derived termsEdit
  • See also Category:English terms suffixed with -man
  • Related termsEdit
    DescendantsEdit

    See also descendants of -man.

    • Tok Pisin: man
    • Chinese: man
    • Chinook Jargon: man
    • Korean: (maen)
    • Spanish: man
    • Thai: แมน (mɛɛn)
    • Volapük: man
    TranslationsEdit
    See alsoEdit

    AdjectiveEdit

    man (not comparable)

    1. Only used in man enough

    InterjectionEdit

    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[4]:
        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.
    TranslationsEdit

    PronounEdit

    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[5], 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)
      • 2017, Joseph Barnes Phillips, Big Foot ...and Tiny Little Heartstrings
        Blood I swear she just gave man extra chicken? Two fat pieces of chicken.
    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[6], 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 notesEdit

    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 2Edit

    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), Danish bemande (to man), Swedish bemanna (to man), Icelandic manna (to supply with men, man).

    VerbEdit

    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.
      • 2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, number 978, page 39:
        In Britain, nearly 2,500 steam locomotives were built, 999 to new designs. Although the latter were modern, they were still labour-intensive to man and maintain, during a period of full employment when working for poor pay in the dirty railway environment was unattractive.
    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.
    5. (transitive, obsolete, chiefly falconry) To accustom (a raptor or other type of bird) to the presence of people.
    Derived termsEdit
    TranslationsEdit

    Etymology 3Edit

    Clipping of manual

    Proper nounEdit

    man

    1. (computing) A command used to display help pages in Unix and Unix-like operating systems.
    Derived termsEdit

    ReferencesEdit

    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, pages 608–633
    2. 2.0 2.1 man”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
    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 readingEdit

    AnagramsEdit

    AbinomnEdit

    NounEdit

    man

    1. moon

    AfrikaansEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    man (plural mans or manne, diminutive mannetjie)

    1. man
    2. husband

    Usage notesEdit

    • 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.

    AlbanianEdit

    Alternative formsEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    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).

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

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

    1. mulberry, mulberry tree

    HyponymsEdit

    AragoneseEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Akin to Spanish mano, from Latin manus.

    NounEdit

    man f

    1. hand

    ArigidiEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

    1. I, first person singular pronoun, as subject

    ReferencesEdit

    • B. Oshodi, The HTS (High Tone Syllable) in Arigidi: An Introduction, in the Nordic Journal of African Studies 20(4): 263–275 (2011)\
    • Boluwaji Oshodi (December 2011) A Reference Grammar of Arigidi, Montem Paperbacks, →ISBN

    BagirmiEdit

    NounEdit

    man

    1. water

    ReferencesEdit

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

    BariaiEdit

    NounEdit

    man

    1. bird

    ReferencesEdit

    Bikol CentralEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Inherited from Proto-Philippine *man.

    PronunciationEdit

    AdverbEdit

    man

    1. also
      Synonym: pati

    ParticleEdit

    man

    1. used to abate or soften the impacts of negatives and commands

    BonggoEdit

    NounEdit

    man

    1. bird

    ReferencesEdit

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

    CalóEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

    1. Contraction of mangue (I, me).

    ReferencesEdit

    • 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.

    CebuanoEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Inherited from Proto-Philippine *man. Compare Tagalog man.

    PronunciationEdit

    ParticleEdit

    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?

    ChineseEdit

    Alternative formsEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Borrowed from English man.

    PronunciationEdit


  • (Mandarin) also pronounced as /mɛn⁵⁵/
  • AdjectiveEdit

    man

    1. (informal) manly; masculine

    See alsoEdit

    Chinook JargonEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Borrowed from English man.

    NounEdit

    man

    1. man

    SynonymsEdit

    AntonymsEdit

    AdjectiveEdit

    man

    1. male

    AntonymsEdit

    ChuukeseEdit

    NounEdit

    man

    1. Alternative spelling of maan

    CimbrianEdit

    Alternative formsEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    NounEdit

    man m (Tredici Comuni)

    1. man
    2. husband

    ReferencesEdit

    CzechEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Old Czech man, from Middle High German and Old High German man.

    PronunciationEdit

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

    NounEdit

    man m anim (feminine manka)

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

    DeclensionEdit

    Derived termsEdit

    Further readingEdit

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

    DanishEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    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
    InflectionEdit

    Etymology 2Edit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    PronounEdit

    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 3Edit

    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

    PronunciationEdit

    • IPA(key): /maːˀn/, [ˈmæˀn]

    VerbEdit

    man

    1. imperative of mane

    DutchEdit

     
    Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia nl

    EtymologyEdit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    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 notesEdit

    • 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 termsEdit

    Related termsEdit

    DescendantsEdit

    • Afrikaans: man
    • Jersey Dutch: mān
    • Negerhollands: man
      • Virgin Islands Creole: mani (dated)
    • Caribbean Javanese: mang

    AnagramsEdit

    FalaEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Old Galician-Portuguese mão, from Latin manus.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    man f (plural mans or más)

    1. hand

    ReferencesEdit

    • Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu [Fala Dictionary]‎[7], CIDLeS, →ISBN, page 194

    FaroeseEdit

    VerbEdit

    man

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

    Derived termsEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

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

    SynonymsEdit

    FrenchEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Blend of mon +‎ ma.

    PronunciationEdit

    DeterminerEdit

    man n (singular, plural mes)

    1. (gender-neutral, neologism) my
      Man colocataire a fait son coming out non-binaire.
      My roommate came out as non-binary.

    Related termsEdit

    Possessee
    Singular Plural
    Masculine Feminine
    Possessor Singular First person mon1 ma mes
    Second person ton1 ta tes
    Third person son1 sa ses
    Plural First person notre nos
    Second person votre2 vos2
    Third person leur leurs
    1 Also used before feminine adjectives and nouns beginning with a vowel or mute h.
    2 Also used as the polite singular form.

    See alsoEdit

    Further readingEdit

    FriulianEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Latin manus.

    NounEdit

    man m (plural mans)

    1. hand

    GaikundiEdit

    NounEdit

    man

    1. foot

    Further readingEdit

    GalicianEdit

    Alternative formsEdit

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

    EtymologyEdit

    From Old Galician-Portuguese mão, from Latin manus. Cognate with Portuguese mão and Spanish mano.

    NounEdit

    man f (plural mans)

    1. hand
    2. (figurative) ownership; protection; power; grasp

    Usage notesEdit

    Derived termsEdit

    ReferencesEdit

    • mão” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
    • mãao” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
    • 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.

    GermanEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

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

    PronounEdit

    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 notesEdit
    • 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 2Edit

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

    AdverbEdit

    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.

    Further readingEdit

    German Low GermanEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    ConjunctionEdit

    man

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

    SynonymsEdit

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

    GothicEdit

    RomanizationEdit

    man

    1. Romanization of 𐌼𐌰𐌽

    IcelandicEdit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

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

    NounEdit

    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
    DeclensionEdit
    SynonymsEdit
    Derived termsEdit

    Etymology 2Edit

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

    NounEdit

    man n (genitive singular mans, no plural)

    1. the act of daring someone to do something; provocation, dare
    DeclensionEdit

    Etymology 3Edit

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

    NounEdit

    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[8], 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)
    SynonymsEdit

    Etymology 4Edit

    VerbEdit

    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.

    ReferencesEdit

    IstriotEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Latin manus.

    NounEdit

    man m

    1. hand

    JapaneseEdit

    RomanizationEdit

    man

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

    LadinEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Latin manus.

    NounEdit

    man f (plural mans)

    1. (Gherdëina, Badiot, Fascian) hand
      Auzé la man ciancia.
      To lift the left hand.
      L ie na lëtra scrita a man.
      It's a letter written by hand.
      Dé na man
      To give a hand (to help)

    LatvianEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

    1. to me; dative singular form of es

    LigurianEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Latin manus.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    man f (plural moæn)

    1. hand

    LithuanianEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    PronounEdit

    mán

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

    LombardEdit

    Alternative formsEdit

    • ma, (Eastern orthographies)

    EtymologyEdit

    From Latin manus.

    PronunciationEdit

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

    NounEdit

    man f (plural man)

    1. hand

    LuxembourgishEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    VerbEdit

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

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

    MandarinEdit

    RomanizationEdit

    man

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

    Usage notesEdit

    • 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 DutchEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    NounEdit

    man m

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

    InflectionEdit

    This noun needs an inflection-table template.

    Derived termsEdit

    - general:

    - persons:

    DescendantsEdit

    Further readingEdit

    Middle EnglishEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    From Old English man (one, a person).

    Alternative formsEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

    1. Typically singular, indefinite pronoun: one, you (indefinite).
    Derived termsEdit
    See alsoEdit
    ReferencesEdit

    Etymology 2Edit

    NounEdit

    man

    1. Alternative form of mon (man)

    Etymology 3Edit

    VerbEdit

    man

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

    MiskitoEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

    1. (in the singular) you

    See alsoEdit

    NormanEdit

     
    Norman Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia nrm

    Alternative formsEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

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

    NounEdit

    man f (plural mans)

    1. (France, anatomy) hand

    Etymology 2Edit

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

    AdjectiveEdit

    man (feminine ma)

    1. my (belonging to me)
    Coordinate termsEdit
    • tan (“your”)
    • san (“hers, his, its”)

    North FrisianEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    PronounEdit

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

    1. (Föhr-Amrum) my

    Northern KurdishEdit

    VerbEdit

    man

    1. to stay
    2. to remain

    Northern SamiEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

    1. accusative/genitive singular of mii

    Norwegian BokmålEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    PronunciationEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

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

    Etymology 2Edit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

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

    1. a mane (of a horse)

    ReferencesEdit

    Norwegian NynorskEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    NounEdit

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

    1. mane (of a horse)

    ReferencesEdit

    OccitanEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Old Occitan man, from Latin manus.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    man f (plural mans)

    1. hand

    Old DutchEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    NounEdit

    man m

    1. human, person
    2. man, male

    InflectionEdit

    Derived termsEdit

    DescendantsEdit

    Further readingEdit

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

    Old EnglishEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    From mann.

    PronunciationEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

    1. one, you (indefinite pronoun; construed as a third-person singular)
      • c. 992, 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.
      • c. 992, 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)
    3. someone, somebody (some unspecified person)
    4. they (some unspecified group of people)
    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.
    DescendantsEdit

    Etymology 2Edit

    See mann.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    man m

    1. Alternative form of mann

    Etymology 3Edit

    From Proto-Germanic *mainą.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    mān n

    1. crime, sin, wickedness
    Derived termsEdit

    Old High GermanEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    NounEdit

    man m

    1. man

    DescendantsEdit

    Old NorseEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Probably from Proto-Germanic *gamaną (fellow human)

    NounEdit

    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.

    DeclensionEdit

    Derived termsEdit

    DescendantsEdit

    ReferencesEdit

    • Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic[9], Oxford: Clarendon Press

    Old OccitanEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Latin manus.

    NounEdit

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

    1. hand (anatomy)

    DescendantsEdit

    ReferencesEdit

    Old SaxonEdit

    NounEdit

    man m

    1. Alternative form of mann

    Old SpanishEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Latin māne (morning).

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    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.

    SynonymsEdit

    PapiamentuEdit

     

    EtymologyEdit

    From Spanish mano.

    NounEdit

    man

    1. hand

    RomaniEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

    1. accusative of me

    SambaliEdit

    AdverbEdit

    man

    1. also

    Saterland FrisianEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

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

    ConjunctionEdit

    man

    1. but

    AdverbEdit

    man

    1. but, just

    Etymology 2Edit

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

    PronounEdit

    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 termsEdit
    • Mon (“man, husband”)

    ReferencesEdit

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

    Scottish GaelicEdit

    PrepositionEdit

    man

    1. (Lewis) Alternative form of mar

    Usage notesEdit

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

    SpanishEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From English man.

    PronunciationEdit

    • IPA(key): /ˈman/ [ˈmãn]
    • Rhymes: -an
    • Syllabification: man

    NounEdit

    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
        I heard you were feeling down / That you'd been drinking and took off with some guy

    Further readingEdit

    Sranan TongoEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From English man.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    man

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

    Derived termsEdit

    VerbEdit

    man

    1. to be able to
      A man no ben man taki.The man could not speak.
      • 1984, “Nioni”, in Telefôn' mi koe mi koenoe, performed by The Exmo Stars & Boogie:
        Te yu no man fu tyari akata / yu no mu trobi matuku
        If you aren't able to carry a head pad / you shouldn't bother with a basket

    SynonymsEdit

    SumerianEdit

    RomanizationEdit

    man

    1. Romanization of 𒎙 (man)

    SwedishEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    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.
      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.
    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
      Vi var sjuttio man som slet i gruvan.
      We were seventy men who toiled in the mine.
    4. (slang, in the definite "mannen") man (usually friendly term of address)
      Jalla, mannen!Hurry up, man!
    Usage notesEdit

    (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 byrånWith 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 and Dutch where Mann and man can have an unchanged plural form in this particular case.

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

    DeclensionEdit
    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 termsEdit
    See alsoEdit

    (husband): make, gemål

    PronounEdit

    man c

    1. (indefinite) one, they; people in general
      Vad man kan se
      What one can see
    Usage notesEdit

    Does not sound formal the way English one might when substituted for you. Usually the only option in cases where both you and one might be used in English, as Swedish du (you) and ni (you (plural)) read more like "you, specifically."

    DeclensionEdit

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

    Derived termsEdit

    Etymology 2Edit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    man c

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

    AnagramsEdit

    TagalogEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Inherited from Proto-Philippine *man.

    PronunciationEdit

    AdverbEdit

    man

    1. although; even if; even though
      Synonyms: kahit, maski, bagaman
    2. also
      Synonyms: din, pati

    Derived termsEdit

    TarpiaEdit

    NounEdit

    man

    1. bird

    ReferencesEdit

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

    Tok PisinEdit

    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.

    EtymologyEdit

    From English man.

    NounEdit

    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

    AdjectiveEdit

    man

    1. male

    AntonymsEdit

    Derived termsEdit

    Torres Strait CreoleEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From English man.

    NounEdit

    man

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

    VenetianEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    From Latin manus.

    NounEdit

    man f (invariable)

    1. hand

    VietnameseEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    Sino-Vietnamese word from (to lie). Also compare (to deceive).

    AdjectiveEdit

    man

    1. (only in compounds) dishonest; false; untruthful
    Derived termsEdit

    Etymology 2Edit

    Sino-Vietnamese word from (barbarian; unreasonable).

    NounEdit

    man

    1. (derogatory, chiefly in compounds) a savage; barbarian
    Derived termsEdit

    Etymology 3Edit

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

    NumeralEdit

    man

    1. (archaic) ten thousand; myriad
      một manten thousand
    Derived termsEdit

    AnagramsEdit

    VolapükEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    man (nominative plural mans)

    1. man (adult male human)

    DeclensionEdit

    Coordinate termsEdit

    Derived termsEdit

    WelshEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    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).

    NounEdit

    man m or f (plural mannau or mannoedd)

    1. place; location

    Etymology 2Edit

    Possibly from Latin menda (defect, blemish, mistake), from Proto-Indo-European *mend- (physical defect, fault). See Old Irish mennar (blemish, stain).

    NounEdit

    man m (plural mannau or mannoedd, diminutive mannyn or mennyn)

    1. speck; blemish
    2. stain
    3. distinguishing mark
    4. birthmark; mole
    5. pimple; spot
    6. (heraldry) mascle

    Etymology 3Edit

    Learned borrowing from Hebrew מן(mān, manna).

    NounEdit

    man m

    1. (uncommon) manna
      Synonym: manna

    MutationEdit

    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.

    ReferencesEdit

    • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “man”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
    • Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 264

    West FrisianEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    man c (plural manlju or mannen, diminutive mantsje)

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

    Further readingEdit

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

    WestrobothnianEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    ConjunctionEdit

    mān

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

    Alternative formsEdit

    Wik-MungkanEdit

    NounEdit

    man

    1. neck

    Derived termsEdit

    WolofEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    PronounEdit

    man

    1. I (first-person singular subject pronoun)

    See alsoEdit

    YolaEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    NounEdit

    man (plural mannes)

    1. man
    2. husband
      Coordinate term: mawen

    ReferencesEdit

    • 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, page 55

    ZealandicEdit

    EtymologyEdit

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

    NounEdit

    man m (plural mannen)

    1. man
    2. husband