▪ I. manner, n.1
(ˈmænə(r))
Forms: 2–6 manere, 3–7 maner, (4 maneer, manyere), 4–5 manar, 4–6 maneir, (5 manur, moner(e, 6 manoure, manier, Sc. manir, manieir, 6, 8 Sc. mainer, 7 mannor), 4– manner.
[a. AF. manere (OF. maniere, mod.F. manière) = Pr. maneira, manieira, maniera, Sp. manera, Pg. maneira, It. maniera, repr. a popular L. type *man(u)āria, app. an elliptical or absolute use of the fem. of L. manuārius belonging to the hand, f. manus hand (cf. OF., Pr. manier, Sp. manero carried in the hand, It. maniero manageable, tractable); the primary sense would thus be ‘mode of handling’. The Fr. word has passed into most of the Teut. langs.: cf. OFris. maniere, MDu. maniere, meniere (Du. manier), MHG. maniere (G. manier), Sw. manér, Da. maner.
The word early became the recognized translation of the L. modus and mōs, and its sense-development has been affected by assimilation in meaning to both these words.]
1. a. The way in which something is done or takes place; method of action; mode of procedure. Chiefly in phr. formed with preps. in († on, † by, after) this manner (= thus), in what manner (= how), in divers manners, † in good manner, etc. † in manner that: so that.
| c 1275 Lay. 18983 Þes þinges weren forþriht in þilke manere idiht [c 1205 þus weoren idihte]. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 502 In þis manere iwis Corineus bi wan cornwaile to him. 1340 Ayenb. 51 Ine vif maneres me zenegeþ be mete and be drinke. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 24 So as sche mai in good manere Hir honour and her name save. c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 5 Musyng on a maner how that I myght make Reason & Sensualyte in oon to acorde. c 1450 Merlin 2 We yede and assaied hym in alle the maners that we cowden. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. lix. 80 heading, Howe therle of Heynault assayled the fortresse of Mortayne in Picardy by dyuers maners. 1530 Palsgr. 750/1, I have no joy to be taken up of you on this maner. 1557 N. T. (Geneva) Heb. i. 1 God spake at sondrie tymes & in diuers maners in the olde tyme to our fathers by the Prophetes. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. iv. iii. 189 For certaine she is dead, and by strange manner. 1611 Bible Neh. vi. 4 They sent vnto me foure times,..and I answered them after the same maner. 1646 (title) The True Mannor and Forme of the Proceeding to the Funerall of..the Earle of Essex. 1647–8 Sir C. Cotterell Davila's Hist. Fr. (1678) 21 They disposed the order of their Council in manner as followeth. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. x, We should go there in as proper a manner as possible; not altogether like the scrubs about us. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest iv, [He] sometimes thanked her in a manner more earnest than was usual with him. 1850 A. Jameson Leg. Monast. Ord. (1863) 52 Chanting the divine services according to the Gregorian manner. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) IV. 227 The mathematician..is not capable of giving a reason in the same manner as the dialectician. |
b. in († on) like manner, also † like manner: in a similar way, similarly. † in, by no manner, also † no manner: not in any way, not at all.
| c 1325 Spec. Gy Warw. 628 He..Þat nele be meke in none manere. 1382 Wyclif Matt. xxi. 36 Eftsones he sente other seruauntis, mo than the firste, and liche maner [1388 in lijk maner, Vulg. similiter] thei diden to hem. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 598/11 Nullatenus, no manere. 1470–85 Malory Arthur i. xv. 56 Whan syr Arthur sawe the batail wold not be endyd by no maner. 1556 Lauder Tractate 259 Than can ȝe be no maner want Gold. 1563 Winȝet Four Scoir Thre Quest. Wks. 1888 I. 81 Baptim onlyke maner makis ws saif. 1611 Bible Transl. Pref. ¶8 In like maner, Vlpilas is reported..to haue translated the Scriptures into the Gothicke tongue. 1820 Shelley Hymn to Mercury lxi, He averred..that he did neither see Or even had in any manner heard Of my lost cows. 1863 Lyell Antiq. Man 25 Among other characters, the diminished thickness of the bones [etc.]..are relied on; and in like manner, the diminished size of the horns of the bull. |
c. Const. of with gerund or noun of action (arch.). manner of speaking [perh. after. F. manière de parler]: form of expression. in a manner of speaking: so to speak.
| c 1391 Chaucer Astrol. ii. §3 Yif it be after the middel of the day, set the degree of thy sonne up-on the west side; tak this manere of setting for a general rewle. 1532 Tindale Exp. Matt. v. 38–42 (? 1550) 42 To turne y⊇ other cheke is a maner of spekynge and not be vnderstand as the words sound. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, v. vi. 9 The manner of their taking may appeare At large discoursed in this paper heere. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. 45 This is our vsual maner of pricking and setting downe of the Proportions. 1632 Sanderson Serm. 47 Obserue secondly the Apostles maner of speech. 1729 Butler Serm. Pref., A manner of speaking not loose and undeterminate, but clear and distinct. 1763 Goldsm. Misc. Wks. (1837) I. 549 A more just manner of thinking and expressing. 1809 Roland Fencing 118 The manner of executing it was [etc.]. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 219 The cattle..has been, in a manner of speaking, neglected. |
d. Gram. adverb of manner: one which answers, or which is equivalent to, the question how?
| 1727–41 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Adverb, Adverbs..may be reduced under the general classes of Adverbs of time, of place, of order, of quantity, of quality, of manner [etc.]. 1872 R. Morris Engl. Accid. 193 Adverbs of..Manner or Quality, as well, wisely [etc.]. |
† 2. a. the manner of: the state of the case with respect to (a person, thing or event); the character, disposition, or nature of. (Also occas. without of.) Obs.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 15864 ‘Lo!’ sche seide, ‘wher he comeþ here!’ & telde of Pellit al þe manere. c 1330 ― Chron. (1810) 275 A messengere þei sent, to telle alle þe manere, To þe Scottis he went, and said as ȝe may here. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 6710 In that myrour dyde I se The maner hool off the cyte. 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. lxiii. 522 Syre Palomydes told Hermynde alle the manere and how they slewe sir Lamorak. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. xvii. 18 heading, Here the hystory speketh of the maner of the Scottis, and howe they can warre. 1530 Palsgr. 707/2, I scryve a thyng, I discrybe the maner of it. a 1557 M. Basset tr. More's Treat. Passion M.'s Wks. 1383/2 As hys trespas was a great deale more heynous, so was the manoure of hys well deseruyd ende, muche more pyteous. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. v. i. 20 There was a..conflict between them, but..I am not able to deliver the manner of it. 1665 Bunyan Holy Citie 59 These words..give us also to understand the manner of her strength. |
b. in (the) manner of: after the fashion of, in the guise of, in the same way as.
| c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶256 (Harl. MS.) Þay sowede of fige leues in maner of breches. 1486–1504 in W. Denton Eng. in 15th Cent. (1888) Note D 318 My lord byschope..dyd stand in maner of a wauereyng mynd. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) K v, There came a Centuryon in maner of a messager with great haste. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. xxi. 58 b, A purse..which hee holdeth in his hande in manner of a gloue. 1659 Pearson Creed (1839) 358 The grave to him is in the manner of a womb to bring him forth. 1720 Strype Stow's Lond. vi. i. 8/1 To make a Dragon in Manner of a Standard or Ensign of certain red Samitt. 1907 G. B. Shaw How he lied to her Husband 142 Henry places himself on guard in the manner of a well taught boxer. 1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage iii. 60 The coverlet tells the story of Tristan, in a series of scenes showing different incidents, in the manner of a strip cartoon. |
3. a. Customary mode of acting or behaviour, whether of an individual or of a community; habitual practice; usage, custom, fashion. Now only literary or arch.
Phr. † for the manner: in accordance with the fashion.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 6 Vor þi mot þeos riwle chaungen hire misliche efter euch ones manere. a 1300 Cursor M. 4067 All luted him on þair maner. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 90 Anoþer maner meued him eke, þat he þurȝ nobelay had nomen. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 156 Where goode prestis traueilen faste to lerne goddis lawe, þei gon for þe manere to cyuyle or canon. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. 498 Þe lordes by-lyue hom to list ledes With many seriant of mace, as was þe manere. c 1510 Lyt. Geste Robyn Hode viii, A good maner than had Robyn..Euery daye..Thre messes wolde he here. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) Ll vij, Them that be of a meke and still maner. 1598 W. Phillip tr. Linschoten i. xcii. 163/2 And now I will shew vnto you the manner that is vsed in the ships, when they sayle home againe. 1611 Bible Jer. xxii. 21 This hath bin thy maner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. 1674 tr. Scheffer's Lapland 90, I shall add the figures of both Sexes habited after their manner. 1710 Prideaux Orig. Tithes App. 3 The people..lay claim to customary manners of Tithing [etc.]. 1853 Kingsley Hypatia xiii. 155 She suddenly and silently, after the manner of mastiffs, sprang upon them. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 229 Here Ctesippus, as his manner was, burst into a roar of laughter. |
b. to the manner born: in Shakes., destined by one's birth to be subject to the (specified) custom. In later echoes often: Seeming to be congenitally fitted for some position or employment.
| 1602 Shakes. Ham. i. iv. 15 (Qo. 1604) But to my minde, though I am natiue heere And to the manner borne, it is a custome More honourd in the breach, then the obseruance. 1893 Times 26 Apr. 9/5 Yankee experts to the manner born. |
4. collect. pl. † a. A person's habitual behaviour or conduct, esp. in reference to its moral aspect; moral character, morals. Obs.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 218 Hwonne a mon haueð neoweliche wif iled hom, he nimeð ȝeme al softeliche of hire maneres. c 1369 Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 1014 She vsed gladly to do wele These were hir maners euerydele. c 1410 Sir Cleges 21 The pore pepull he wold releve And no man wold he greve, Meke of maners was hee. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys 118 An olde prouerbe..Sayth that good lyfe and maners makyth man. 1535 Coverdale 1 Cor. xv. 33 Euell speakinges corruppe good maners. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. xviii. 21 [He] changed his good maners and vertues into most vitious tyrannies. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. ii. iii. 19 Though I am a daughter to his blood, I am not to his manners. 1641 J. Jackson True Evang. T. i. 6 The turning of fierce and brutall men..unto sweet..and sociable manners. 1757 Johnson Rambler No. 172 ¶1 Nothing has been longer observed, than that a change of fortune causes a change of manners. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho i, In the few ornaments of the apartments that characterized the manners of its inhabitants. |
† b. In a more abstract sense: Conduct in its moral aspect; also, morality as a subject of study; the moral code embodied in general custom or sentiment. Obs.
| 1589 Nashe Anat. Absurd. 42 Socrates who reduced all Philosophy vnto the manners, sayd, that this was the greatest wisedome, to distinguish good and euill thinges. 1597 Bacon Ess. Ep. Ded. (Arb.) 4 Nothing..contrarie or infectious to the state of Religion, or manners. 1644 Milton Areop. (Arb.) 76 That also which is impious or evil absolutely either against faith or maners no law can possibly permit. 1666 Tillotson Rule of Faith i. iii. Wks. 1742 IV. 571 Had they believed not the scriptures but something else to have been the rule of faith and manners. 1767 A. Young Farmer's Lett. to People 184 It is manners alone which increase or decrease the number of people. 1776 Gibbon Decl. & F. ix. (1869) I. 179 Divorces were prohibited by manners rather than by laws. |
c. The modes of life, customary rules of behaviour, conditions of society, prevailing in a people.
| 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 199 We han, ludus, of ȝour lif listned ful ofte, Þat michil ben ȝour manerus fram oþur men varied. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. i. ii. 12 Ile view the manners of the towne, Peruse the traders, gaze vpon the buildings. 1605 Camden Rem. 146 Many approoved customes, lawes, maners, fashions, and phrases have the English alwayes borrowed of their neighbours the French. 1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Lett. to C'tess Mar 10 Mar., Those..tales..are a real representation of the manners here. 1841 D'Israeli Amen. Lit. (1867) 582 Of all our dramatists, Jonson..alone professed to study the..manners of the age. 1870 Rogers Hist. Gleanings Ser. ii. 199 Contemporary novels are good evidence of manners. |
d. Good ‘manners’, customs, or way of living.
| 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 148 We should not speake of manners or vertue to those whose mindes are infected with vice. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. i. 184 Defect of Manners, want of Gouernment. 1802 Wordsw. Sonn. Milton, Oh! raise us up, return to us again; And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power. |
† e. Literary Criticism. Character, distinctive varieties of disposition and temperament, as portrayed in epic or dramatic poetry; the portraiture of character, viewed as one of the constituent elements of poetic art. (After Aristotle's use of ἤθη.)
| 1695 Dryden Parallel Poetry & Paint. Ess. (Ker) II. 132 The persons and action of a farce are all unnatural, and the manners false, that is, inconsisting with the characters of mankind. 1700 ― Pref. Fables, The Words are the Colouring of the Work, which..is last to be consider'd. The Design,..the Manners, and the Thoughts, are all before it. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 273 ¶1 This is Aristotle's Method of considering, first the Fable, and secondly the Manners; or, as we generally call them in English, the Fable and the Characters. 1727–41 Chambers Cycl. 1780 Harris Philol. Enq. Wks. (1841) 434 When the principal persons of any drama preserve such a consistency of conduct,..that..we conjecture what they will do hereafter from what they have done already, such persons in poetry may be said to have manners, for by this, and this only, are poetic manners constituted. |
† f. Habits (of animals). Cf. F. mœurs. Obs.
| 1576 Fleming tr. Cains' Dogges A iv, The sundry sortes of Englishe dogges he discouereth so euidently,..their manners he openeth so manifestly. 1661 Lovell Hist. Anim. & Min. Introd., As for their nature and manners, they [serpents] have their poyson in the taile. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. I. 202 In his manners he [the racoon] resembles the squirrel. |
5. a. Outward bearing, deportment, or style of address. With reference to a speaker: Characteristic style of attitude, gesture, and utterance.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 24078 Soth in speche, in maner mild. c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 249 Youre observaunce and so lowe manere. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 64 Sche tok good hiede of his manere, And wondreth why he dede so. 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. ii. Wks. 1200/1 Arrogant maner, high solayn solemne port, ouerlooking the poore in woorde and countenance. 1557 Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 234, I see well..by thy lokes and thy manere,..That thou art stuffed full of wo. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) II. vi. 109 Something in the boy's manner attracted the banker's interest. 1888 T. E. Kebbel Crabbe v. 87 His manner to women seems to have been of the kind called philandering. |
b. A distinguished or fashionable air.
| 1694 Congreve Double Dealer ii. ii, Cynt. A Manner! what's that, Madam? L. Froth. Some distinguishing Quality, as for example, the Belle-air or Brillant of Mr. Brisk;..or something of his own, that should look a little Jene-scay-quoysh. 1773 Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. ii. Wks. (Globe) 656/2 We country persons can have no manner at all... But who can have a manner, who has never seen..such places where the nobility chiefly resort? 1883 Grant White W. Adams 83 Her manners were quite as good as Lady Boreham's; and her manner was as superior as that of the so-called Venus of Milo might be to that of the Venus of a burlesque. |
6. a. pl. († formerly also sing.) External behaviour in social intercourse, estimated as good or bad according to its degree of politeness or of conformity to the accepted standard of propriety.
| c 1385 Chaucer L. G. W. 1504 Hypsip., Sche..knew by hyre manyere..That it were gentil men of gret degre. 1530 Palsgr. 415/1 Thoughe thou do me good, it is not good maner to abrayde me therof. 1593 G. Harvey Precursor Pierces Super. Wks. (Grosart) II. 9 Some of vs are not so deuoide of good manner, but we..will euer be prest to interteine Curtesie with curtesie. 1604 Shakes. Oth. v. i. 94 These bloody accidents must excuse my Manners, That so neglected you. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 208 They hold it ill manners that one should touch the meat with his hand. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 53 ¶5 The Women lost their Wit, and the Men their good Manners. 1791 Gentl. Mag. 20/2 The young minister would become a pattern to the manners as well as to the morals of his neighbourhood. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xii. III. 168 His manners and conversation were those of a gentleman who had been bred in the most polite..of all Courts. 1874 Green Short Hist. vii. §8. 443 Hugh..was in manners and bearing an Englishman. |
b. transf. Of a horse: Action.
| 1861 G. J. Whyte-Melville Mkt. Harb. 20 There's some legs—there's some hocks and thighs!..Carries his own head, too; and if you could see his manners! |
7. a. Polite behaviour or deportment; habits indicative of good breeding. In pl.; † rarely sing.
| c 1374 Chaucer Compl. Mars 294 Compleyneth her that euere hath had yow dere, Compleyneth beaute, fredom and manere. 1563–87 Foxe A. & M. (K. O.), It is no manners to [etc.]. 1588 Kyd Househ. Phil. Wks. (1901) 254 That which for manner sake wee are wont to doe to others. 1605 Shakes. Lear v. iii. 234 The time will not allow the complement Which very manners vrges. 1610 Bible (Douay) Ecclus. xxxi. 17 Leaue of first, for maners sake, and exceede not. a 1652 Brome Queen & Concub. iii. vii. (1659) 61 Cur. Wilt thou be a Scholar? Andr. After you is manners. Cur. Now by mine intellect, discreetly spoken. 1663 Dryden Wild Gallant iii. i, Have you no more manners than to overlook a man when he's a writing? 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) II. 117 He pressed us so earnestly to dinner, that we could not, in manners, refuse him. 1828 Scott F. M. Perth viii, Our manners would have taught us to tarry till your lordship had invited us. 1875 Jowett Plato, Gorgias (ed. 2) II. 331 There is a great want of manners in bringing the argument to such a pass. |
b. Forms of politeness or respect. Obs. exc. arch. or dial. in to do or make one's manners.
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. i. i. 247, I aduise you vse your manners discreetly in all kind of companies. 1601 ― All's Well iv. v. 93 Madam, I was thinking with what manners I might safely be admitted. 1701 De Foe True-born Eng. ii. 143 But like our Modern Quakers of the Town, Expect your Manners, and return you none. 1824 in Spirit Pub. Jrnls. (1825) 226 Having done their manners to his Worship, Mr. Dennis Macarthy proceeded to question his beloved. 1825 J. Neal Bro. Jonathan I. 138 Declaring, with a bow, or a bob, that ‘nobody needn't plague themselves..;’ and—making their manners, once more—‘and, whether or no’ [etc.]. 1863 Mrs. Gaskell Sylvia's L. ii. (ed. 2) I. 30, I humbly make my manners, missus. |
8. a. Method or style of execution in art or literature. (In literary application often contrasted with matter.)
| 1662 Evelyn Chalcogr. iii. 30 They..ruin'd all those..excellent Works, whereever they became Masters, introducing their lame, and wretched manner, in all those Arts which they pretended to restore. 1664 ― tr. Fréart's Parallel Archit. ii. 10 The heroick and gigantine manner of this Order [the Doric]..discovering a certain masculine and natural beauty, which is properly that the French call la grand Maniere. 1695 Dryden Parallel Poetry & Paint. Ess. (Ker) II. 123 Plato himself is accustomed to write loftily, imitating, as the critics tell us, the manner of Homer. 1708 Addison Let. in Ann. Reg. (1778) XXI. 176/2 The whole is concluded by a nightingale, that has a much better voice than Mrs. Tofts, and something of the Italian manner in her divisions. 1754 Gray Let. to Wharton 13 Aug., He [Kent] introduced a mix'd Style, which now goes by the name of the Battey-Langley-Manner. 1780 Cowper Table T. 542 Manner is all in all, whatever is writ, The substitute for genius, sense, and wit. 1824 Dibdin Libr. Comp. p. iv., Miniature engravings in the line manner. 1837 Penny Cycl. IX. 440/1 Goltzius..imparted a boldness to engraving which forms a striking contrast to the neat stiff manner of his predecessors. 1850 Blackie æschylus I. Pref. 7 Poetry is distinguished from prose more by the manner than by the matter. 1878 R. W. Dale Lect. Preach. vi. 178 Lord Macaulay's manner is very contagious. |
b. spec. The method or style characteristic of a particular artist, etc.; often in unfavourable sense = mannerism.
| 1706 Art of Painting (1744) 316 He at last degenerated into what we call manner, and very seldom consulted nature. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) X. 538/2 Manner, in painting..But the best painter is he who has no manner at all. 1813 Examiner 10 May 299/2 Most Artists have what is denominated a manner, unlike the unobtrusiveness of Nature. 1837 Penny Cycl. IX. 440/2 The great excellence of his works in other respects was enhanced by the absence of all manner, except such as belonged to the painter after whom he engraved. 1855 Bain Senses & Int. iii. ii. §19 (1864) 485 Let a composer vary his works as he may, there is a manner that usually sits upon every one of them. |
c. One of the several distinct methods of an artist, which mark phases or periods in his career.
| 1727–52 Chambers Cycl. s.v., The curious in pictures..distinguish readily..between the antient and the new manner of the same painter. 1762–71 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) I. 85 A picture of Raphael in his first manner. 1867 Barry Sir C. Barry iv. 97 The building which most distinctly marks his ‘second manner’. 1902 Daily Chron. 22 Apr. 3/1 Mr. Henderson's attempt to divide Wagner's works into four styles or manners is rather misleading. |
9. a. Species, kind, sort. † Formerly often with ellipsis of of. Now only arch. in what manner of{ddd}? († corruptly, what manner a{ddd}?)
The origin of the ellipsis of of (which appears very early) is that manner was used in the place of the older kin n.1, and succeeded to its syntax: see kin n.1 6 b.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 51 Crabbe is an manere of fissce in þere sea. c 1290 St. Brendan 719 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 239 Ȝwane ore louerd eche-manere men to him haueth i-drawe. a 1300 Cursor M. 6765 Cow or shepe hors or oþer maner of aȝt. c 1374 Chaucer Compl. Mars 116 She ne founde ne saugh no maner wyght. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) Pref. 3 Whare dwelles many diuerse maners of folke. c 1400 Destr. Troy 102 A maner of men, mermydons callid. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 13 He sett him in ane othir maner fassoun to procede. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xvii. iii. 692 His bones be of suche a maner of kynde that [etc.]. 1528 Tindale Par. Wicked Mammon 6 They fele no maner workynge of the spyryte. 1549 Latimer 1st Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 27 God prescrybid vnto them an order, howe the[y] shulde chose their kyng, and what manner a man he shoulde be. 1600 Fairfax Tasso xvii. iii. 296 Come say (my muse) what manner times these weare. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iii. 89 What manner of Fellow was hee that robb'd you? 1651 Hobbes Leviath. i. x. 46 Kings..gave divers manners of Scutchions, to such as went forth to the War. 1674 Playford Skill Mus. ii. 101 There are three sorts of Bass-Viols, as there are three manners of ways in playing. 1690 W. Walker Idiomat. Anglo-Lat. 289, I believe you can tell what a manner of father I have. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 234 What manner of man was he who came up to you and censured philosophy? |
b. sing. with plural construction (cf. kind n. 14 b), qualified by all, many, these, or a numeral. † In early use often with ellipsis of of. Now only in all manner of = all sorts of.
all manner was down to the 16th c. often written almaner; thesemanner also occurs as one word.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 10 Þer beoð two dolen to two manere of men. c 1320 Cast. Love 1596 The threttenyth day all maner men Shull dyen. 1471 Hist. Arriv. Edw. IV (Camden) 34 Thes manar of writings. 1485 Act 1 Hen. VII, c. 10 §9 To have and enjoie almaner seisours forfaitures and penaltees. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. ccvi. [ccii.] 633 In many maner of wayes. 1526 Tindale Matt. x. 1 To heale all maner of sicknesses and all maner off deseases. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 142 These-maner monstres. 1556 Chron. Gr. Friars (Camden) 79 Dyschargyd from the crowne and from almaner of possessions of the kynge their fader. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iv. i. 296 These externall manner of Laments. 1609 Hieron Wks. (1614) I. 11 These maner speakings doe necessarily imply proceeding. a 1613 Ibid. 181 These manner of speeches the Scripture vseth. 1612 Bp. Andrewes Serm. Nativity vii. (1629) 54 Many manner waies. 1644 Heylin Stumbling-block Tracts (1681) 696, I shall endeavour to make [that] good by two manner of proofs. 1732 Law Serious C. iii. (ed. 2) 33 To practise all manner of righteousness. 1853–8 Hawthorne Eng. Note-Bks. (1879) II. 27 The English nose..disports itself in all manner of irregularity. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 69 Hippothales changed into all manner of colours with delight. |
† c. In adj. phrases used predicatively. Obs.
| c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 767/9 Hec musca, a fflye, alle maner. 1534 Whitinton Tullyes Offices i. (1540) 4 Every questyon of Offyce is two maner [L. duplex.]. |
d. no (or any) manner of{ddd}: often used periphrastically for ‘no, any (person or thing) whatever’. († Formerly also with ellipsis of of.) by no (or any) manner of means: see means.
| c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 600 No maner of thyng can hym hurt. 1426 Paston Lett. I. 25, I herde..no maner lykly ne credible evidence. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. lxxv. 96 Ther abode alyue no maner a person. 1533 Cranmer Let. to Duchess Norfolk in Misc. Writ. (Parker Soc.) II. 255 When it shall be by any manner way void. 1583 Reg. Privy Council Scot. Ser. i. III. 604 As pertening in na maner of way to the said George. 1606 G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Ivstine vii. 35 It had full scope and passage, without any manner interruption. a 1687 Petty Pol. Arith. viii. (1691) 107 Which I wish were true, but find no manner of reason to believe. 1704 Swift Mech. Operat. Spirit Misc. (1711) 275, I have had no manner of Time to digest it into Order. 1884 Manch. Exam. 13 May 5/2 There can be no manner of doubt as to the terms of his instructions. |
† e. Phr. in, on, by this (or what, any, such, etc.) manner of wise = in this (etc.) way; also freq. with ellipsis of of, and occas. of the initial prep. Obs.
| c 1340 Hampole Prose Tr. 14 One þis manerewyse þe more joy and blysse sall it hafe in heuene. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 78 Thurgh sleyhte of Calcas..It wan be such a maner wise. 1422 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 176/1 The paiements in eny maner wyse maad. 1499 in Lett. Rich. III & Hen. VII (Rolls) I. 132 Nor suffre hym in any maner of wise to abide. c 1510 More Picus Wks. 26 b, We wote not howe soone, nor in what manerwise. c 1530 Tindale Pathw. Script. Wks. (1573) 382/2 Christ standeth vs in double stede, and vs serueth two maner wise. 1588 Parke tr. Mendoza's Hist. China 81 By way of phisicke they do permit..to comfort themselues with some conserues..But wine in no maner of wise. |
10. in a manner (formerly † in manner): in some way, in some degree, so to speak, as it were. Also, † to a considerable degree, almost entirely, very nearly (obs.). Similarly † in some good manner.
| c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 1075 The slepyr grasse made many of hem fall, And from thense in maner depart sodeynly. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) i. iii. 25 [They] ben uncrystened & made as in maner forsakynge theyr fayth. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 34 The Persians which vnder Cyrus conquered in a maner all the worlde. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 323 b, They..found in manner nothing. 1584 Cogan Haven Health ccxliii. (1636) 316 There dyed in the same disease in manner within sixe daies space..eight hundred persons. 1588 A. King tr. Canisius' Catech. 96 The worthy fruicts of pœnance, quhair be we recompense (at the least in a mainer) the..sinnes of our former lyf. 1606 Holland Sueton. 32 Of these murderers, there was not one in manner that either survived him aboue three yeares. 1615 W. Lawson Country Housew. Gard. (1623) 12 Fruits are..desired of so many (nay, in a manner of all) and yet few will..take paines to prouide them. 1619 Sir D. Carleton Let. in Eng. & Germ. (Camden) 44 His busines is in some good manner prepared for him. 1737 Whiston Josephus, Hist. Pref. §1 The war..hath been the greatest..in a manner of those that ever were heard of. 1790 Burke Fr. Rev. 148 Our education is in a manner wholly in the hands of ecclesiastics. 1838 Arnold Hist. Rome I. v. 74 The poorest citizens..were considered in a manner as supernumeraries. 1875 T. W. Higginson Hist. U.S. ix. 65 Massachusetts, being first settled, was in a manner the parent of these later colonies. |
† 11. a. Reason, cause. b. The condition upon which something is done. Obs.
| 1390 Gower Conf. III. 12 Why men pleigneth After the court,..I wol the tellen the manere. c 1425 Eng. Conq. Irel. 8 He was delyuered owt of preson on this manere, that he & Morice..shold..wend in-to Irland. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 2882 Sore he hated the prisonere, I can not tell for what maner. |
† 12. [= L. modus.] Measure, moderation. in manner: in due measure. Cf. OF. maniere ‘modération, mesure’ (Godefroy). Obs.
In quot. 1382 a mere literalism.
| 1382 Wyclif Prov. xxiii. 4 But to thi prudence put maner [Vulg. pone modum]. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 157 By this ensample a king mai lere, That forto yive is in manere. 1399 ― In Praise of Peace 53 Bot yit it mot be tempred in manere. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) ii. viii. 106 Without maner & attemperaunce no vertue is perfyte. |
† 13. to find the manner(s to: to find means to. to make no manner to [cf. OF. faire manière de]: to give no sign of (doing something). Obs.
| c 1477 Caxton Jason 51 b, He sholde fynde the maners if he might to sende him in to the yle. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxix. 141 The erle of Derby made no maner to rescue theym. a 1533 ― Huon lii. 175 He wolde go &..fynde the maner to speake with her. |
† 14. A musical mode. [L. modus.] Obs. rare—1.
| 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xliv. 5 In ther wisdam sechende the musyk manerys [Vulg. modos musicos]. |
15. Comb. (objective), as manner-piercing adj.; manners-bit dial. (see quot.); manners-like adv., in a mannerly way; † manners-painting ppl. a., that depicts contemporary ‘manners’; so † manner-painter (nonce-wd.).
| 1829 J. Hunter Hallamsh. Gloss., *Manners-bit, a portion of a dish left by the guests that the host may not feel himself reproached for insufficient preparation. |
| a 1845 Hood Last Man viii, Full *manner's-like he tendered the dram. |
| 1807 Coleridge Lett. (1895) 516 The character of the latter [Chaucer] as a *manner-painter. |
| 1727–46 Thomson Summer 1577 Chaucer, whose native *manners-painting verse [etc.]. 1752 A. Murphy Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. 20 The Manners-painting Hand of Hogarth. 1786 Burns Vision ii. xix, I taught thy manners-painting strains, The loves, the ways of simple swains. |
| 1776 Mickle tr. Camoens' Lusiad viii. (1778) 369 His fraudful art, though veil'd in deep disguise, Shone bright to Gama's *manner-piercing eyes. |
▪ II. manner, n.2
see mainour.
▪ III. manner
obs. form of manor, manure.