manchet Obs. exc. dial. or Hist.
(ˈmæntʃɪt)
Forms: 5–7 manchett, 6–7 maunchet, (5 manchete, manged, mengyd, maynchett, maunchett, 6 mayngate, mancheat(e), Sc. manshote, 7 maincheat, Sc. mainschot, meaneschot, 7, 9 dial. manchent, 8 dial. manshut, 9 manchette, dial. manchun, manshun (etc.: see E.D.D.), 5– manchet.
[Of doubtful origin.
At Rouen, a ring-shaped cake of bread (in ordinary Fr. called couronne) is known as manchette, lit. ‘cuff’ (Robin Patois normand, and Littré Suppl.), but this name (which may be of recent origin) is obviously descriptive of shape, while the Eng. word in early use denotes a certain quality of bread. The identity of sense with paindemaine, demeine, maine-bread (see maine n.) suggests the possibility of etymological connexion with those words. The word might represent an AF. diminutive f. *demenche:—L. dominica, or it might be an Eng. compound f. maine n. + cheat n.2; but either supposition involves some difficulties.]
† 1. The finest kind of wheaten bread; = paindemaine. Obs.
| c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 53 Þou tost shyves of gode manchete,..þenne Sawce hom with sugur. c 1450 [see cheat n.2]. 1467 Mann. & Househ. Exp. (Roxb.) 409 Item, my mastyr paid at Douer for drynkenge pottes, glasses, and for manchett to haue to the schippe, v.s. 1540–1 Elyot Image Gov. 84 He woulde eate a good quantitee of milke, sopped with fine manchet. 1567 Golding Ovid's Met. xi. (1593) 261 His officers..set downe sundrie sorts of meate and mancheat thereupon. 1577 Harrison England iii. i. in Holinshed M vij b, Of breade made of wheat we haue sundry sortes..wherof the first and most excellent is the manchet, which we commonlye call white breade, in latin primarius panis. 1620 Venner Via Recta i. 20 Our manchet..is made of fine flower of wheat, hauing in it no leauen, but in steede thereof a little barme. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 157 The finest Manchet it may be in the World is made here [Goa]. 1736 Bailey Housh. Dict. 62 The best and principal bread is Manchet, which is order'd as follows. a 1791 Grose Olio (1796) 304 They eat some manchet, and had five shillings worth of liquor. |
† b. transf. Obs. rare.
| 1590 P. Barrough Meth. Physick iii. vii. (1617) 110 Giue them [of a doglike appetite] manchet made of fat broths without hony. |
c. fig. Used in Hanmer's translation of Eusebius and copied or used allusively by later historians.
| 1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. iii. xxxii. 55 [Ignatius said:] In so much that I am the wheate of God, I am to be grinded with the teeth of beastes, that I may be founde pure breade or fine manchet [L. ut mundus panis inueniar. Gr. ἵνα καθαρὸς ἄρτος εὑρεθῶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ]. 1610 Boys Wks. (1622) 229. 1630 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentlem. (1641) 230. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. iii. xx. 206. 1650 S. Clarke Eccl. Hist. (1654) I. 3. 1702 C. Mather Magn. Chr. vii. 5. |
2. A small loaf or roll of the finest wheaten bread. Now only arch. or dial.
The bread was moulded into small loaves, round and flattish, or into rolls, thicker in the middle than at the ends.
| 1481 Caxton Reynard (Arb.) 68 Tho gaf I hym acopel of maynchettis with swete butter. a 1483 Liber Niger in Househ. Ord. (1790) 22 The Kyng for his brekefast, two looves made into four maunchetts. 1562–3 in Swayne Sarum Church-w. Acc. (1896) 107 Mayngates and Cakes, vjs. 1629 Burgh Recs. Stirling (1887) I. 163 That na baxteris..sell ony meaneschottis..bott according to the paice and pryce of quhyt bread. 1655 Moufet & Bennet Health's Improv. (1746) 340 Bread..of middle size between Gentlemens Rolls or little Manchets, and the great Loaves used in Yeomen's Houses. 1660 Manch. Court Leet Rec. (1887) IV. 277 Raph Burdsall for Makeing manchetts too light. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. 293/2 A Rowle, a Manchet, a Wigg, is White Bread moulded long ways, and thick in the middle. 1747 H. Glasse Cookery ix. 109 A French Manchet does best; but there are little Loaves made on purpose for the Use. 1781 J. Hutton Tour to Caves Gloss., Manshut, a load [read loaf] of bread. 1840 Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. i. St. Nicholas xlii, And a manchette of bread..And a cup o' the best. 1870 Morris Earthly Par. I. i. 204 Ripe fruits and wheaten manchets fine. |
| fig. 1531 Tindale Exp. 1 John (1537) 76 That mouthe haue they stopped with a leuended maunchet of theyr pharisaycall gloses. |
b. A cake of the form of a manchet.
| 1562 W. Bullein Bk. Simples 2 b, The pouder thereof [anisseede], wyth the pouders of Fenell [etc.] ..tempered with Wheate flower, water and red Wyne, and so baked in manchets or cakes. 1570 B. Googe Pop. Kingd. iv. 45 And after with the selfe same wine are little manchets [orig. pastilli] made, Agaynst the boystrous winter stormes. |
c. Her. The representation of a manchet of bread used as a bearing.
| 1640 Yorke Union Hon., Names & Armes 43 Gentry of Lincolneshire. Pyster. argent, on a peele sable, 3 manchets proper. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. 293/2 He beareth Gules, a Rowl or Manchet, and a Loaf of Bread, Or. 1780 Edmondson Heraldry II. Gloss. 1847 in Gloss. Her. |
3. attrib., as manchet bread, manchet cake, manchet flour, manchet loaf.
| c 1430 Two Cookery Bks. 43 Take mengyd [MS. Douce mayned] Flowre. c 1450 Ibid. 83 Then take manged brede [MS. Douce maynche brede] or paynman. 1542 Boorde Dyetary xi. (1870) 258, I do loue manchet breade. 1551 Bible 1 Kings iv. 22 And Salamons fode was in one day thyrtie quarters of manchet floure [Vulg. similæ]. 1595 Duncan App. Etymol. (E.D.S.) 74 Simila, manshote flour. 1620 Venner Via Recta i. 20, I reiect not the vse of leauen, to the making either of manchet bread or of greater loaues. 1742 Jarvis Quix. i. iv. xxxi. (1885) 178 Winnowed by her hands it made the finest manchet bread. a 1847 Johnnie Faa iv. in Sheldon Minstr. Eng. Border 329 The Earl..Gied them red wine and manchet cake. 1859 Tennyson Geraint & Enid 389 And Enid brought sweet cakes to make them cheer, And..manchet bread. 1881 N. & Q. 6th Ser. III. 430/1 The manchet loaf [in W. Cornwall] is in shape very much like an ordinary French roll, i.e. it is an oblong lump of dough which rises in the middle. |