EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From un- (de-, dis-, away) +‎ man (male person). Compare Dutch ontmannen, German entmannen, both “to unman, emasculate, castrate”.

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

unman (third-person singular simple present unmans, present participle unmanning, simple past and past participle unmanned)

  1. (transitive, archaic) To castrate; to remove the manhood of.
    • 1906, James George Frazer, Attis, Otis, Osiris, volume 1, page 264:
      He unmanned himself under a pine-tree and bled to death on the spot.
    Synonym: emasculate
  2. (transitive, figurative) To sap (a person) of the strength, whether physical or emotional, required to deal with a situation.
    Synonym: emasculate
    • 1855, William Delafield Arnold, Oakfield: Or, Fellowship in the East, page 280:
      I hope to God his theories will not unman him in action, that he will not be musing and refining when he should be leading the Jacks []
    • 1919, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 5, in A Damsel in Distress:
      He dressed moodily, and left the room to go down to breakfast. Breakfast would at least alleviate this sinking feeling which was unmanning him.
  3. (transitive) To deprive of men.

AnagramsEdit

WelshEdit

EtymologyEdit

un (one) +‎ man (place)

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

unman m (uncountable)

  1. a certain place
  2. (in negative expressions) nowhere, anywhere
    Does unman yn debyg i adra.
    There is nowhere like home.
    Sa i ’di bod yn unman.
    I haven’t been anywhere.
    Synonyms: unlle, nunlle

Further readingEdit

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “unman”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies