Where does “manual” come from?

Manual comes from Middle English manuel, from Old French manuel, from Latin manualis meaning "of or pertaining to the hand," derived from Latin manus meaning "hand."

manual (English): A handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage...

Definitions

  1. A handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage...

Ancestry of “manual”, step by step

manual traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English manuel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmanuel—
2Anglo-Normanmanuelmanual; done with the hands; handle; manual;...
3Old Frenchmanual—
4Latinmanuālishand
5Latinmanushand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting
6Proto-Italicmanushand
7Proto-Indo-Europeanman-human being; man; hand

via Latin manuāle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmanuāle—

Words derived from “manual”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European man- →Every word from Proto-Italic manus →Every word from Latin manus →