Words with the root man/manu
man/manu means “hand”, from Latinmanus.
15 examples of the root “man/manu”
- manual-aldone by hand
- manage-agehandle or control
- manner-erway of handling things
- manufacturefacturemake by hand
- manuscriptscriptwritten by hand
- manipulate-ulatehandle or control skillfully
- manifest-festplainly shown by hand
- mandate-datecommand handed down officially
- maneuver-euverwork done by hand
- manicurecurecare of the hands
- manacle-aclechain restraining the hands
- emancipatee-/-aterelease from another's hand
- maintain-tainhold in hand continuously
- masturbate-turbatestimulate with the hand
- legerdemainleger delightness of hand; trickery
How man/manu works
The root 'man/manu' typically functions as a noun or adjective base, helping form nouns (manuscript, mandate), verbs (manipulate, manage), and adjectives (manual). In some words the vowel shortens to 'man-' while in others the full form 'manu-' appears, reflecting how Latin 'manus' combined with different suffixes.
Watch out: Words like 'man,' 'manner,' and 'many' may appear related but 'man' is Old English for human being, 'manner' derives from Latin 'manuarius' (genuinely hand-related) making it a true member, while 'many' comes from Old English 'manig' and has no connection to hands.
To see roots combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.
Other Greek and Latin roots
- port · carry
- duct · lead
- scrib/script · write
- dict · say
- aud · hear
- vid/vis · see
- rupt · break
- mit/miss · send
- vert/vers · turn
- ped · foot
- spec/spect · look
- cap/cept · take
- pos/pon · place
- fac/fact · make
- voc/vok · voice
- terr · earth
- aqua · water
- luc/lum · light
- nov · new
- temp · time
- mort · death
- gram/graph · write
- log/logy · word
- phon · sound
- bio · life
- chron · time
- geo · earth
- path · feeling
- hydr · water
- scope · look at
- therm · heat
- psych · mind
- auto · self
- tele · far
- micro · small
Questions people ask
What does the root “man/manu” mean?
man/manu means “hand”. It comes from Latin (manus). The root 'man/manu' typically functions as a noun or adjective base, helping form nouns (manuscript, mandate), verbs (manipulate, manage), and adjectives (manual). In some words the vowel shortens to 'man-' while in others the full form 'manu-' appears, reflecting how Latin 'manus' combined with different suffixes.
What are some examples of words with the root “man/manu”?
manual, manage, manner, manufacture, manuscript, manipulate, manifest, mandate. The full list of 15 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the root “man/manu” but don’t?
Words like 'man,' 'manner,' and 'many' may appear related but 'man' is Old English for human being, 'manner' derives from Latin 'manuarius' (genuinely hand-related) making it a true member, while 'many' comes from Old English 'manig' and has no connection to hands.
What is a root word?
A root is the core of a word that carries its main meaning. Many English roots come from Latin or Greek and cannot stand alone, like port (“carry”) in transport and portable.