manifestation
(mænɪfɛˈsteɪʃən)
[ad. late L. manifestātiōn-em, n. of action f. manifestāre to manifest. Cf. F. manifestation, Sp. manifestacion, It. manifestazione.]
1. The action of manifesting or the fact of being manifested; the demonstration, revelation, or display of the existence, presence, qualities, or nature of some person or thing. † Also, exposition, explanation.
| 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) V. 405 Tylle hit was made open by the manifestacion of a notable signe wheder parte awe to be folowede. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 21 b, Of this manifestacyon or metynge of our lorde, speketh saynt Johan. 1532 More Confut. Tindale Wks. 371/2, I..haue spoken of this matter somwhat y⊇ more at large, for y⊇ manifestacion of their great blindnesse. 1570–6 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 297 The matter..requireth more wordes for the manifestation thereof than I may now affoorde. 1594 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. ii. 201 The growing vp of mans body, and of the manifestation by little and little of the powers of the soule. 1685 Baxter Paraphr. N. T., Acts i. 3 He shewed himself to them by unquestionable manifestation, at several times in the forty days space. 1864 Bowen Logic ix. 288 What we mean by Personal Identity is sameness of substance under great differences of phenomenal manifestation. 1884 Jennings Croker Papers I. viii. 226 His friends dreaded that at his funeral there would be some manifestation of..ill-feeling. |
b. An instance of this; hence, concr. or semi-concr. that by which something is manifested.
| 1785 Paley Mor. & Polit. Philos. vi. x. (1786) 573 Certain credited manifestations of the divine will. 1794 Sullivan View Nat. II. 418 The universe is in the aggregate, a manifestation of the attributes of God. 1833 J. H. Newman Arians ii. ii. (1876) 153 The Jewish Scriptures introduce to our notice certain peculiar Attributes or Manifestations..of the Deity. 1838 Dickens Nich. Nick. xv, Various odd manifestations of surprise and delight. 1858 Gladstone Homer II. iii. 180 Jupiter is..the supreme manifestation of Power and knowledge. 1861 Stanley East. Ch. ix. (1869) 284 The third great historical manifestation of the Oriental Church is the formation of the Russian Church. 1867 Max Müller Chips (1880) I. Pref. 10 The first manifestation of thought is speech. |
c. Eccl. Applied to the action of making known to another the state of one's conscience.
| 1657 Penit. Conf. vii. 134 Let that manifestation be granted to be confession. c 1826 Doyle in W. J. Fitz-Patrick Life (1880) I. 523 A rule which requires that each of the sisters..should manifest on a certain day in each month to the female Superior the state of their conscience, which..you know would be carried to such a length that the manifestation would include secret temptations [etc.]; in a word, that the manifestation was in fact the same as the subsequent sacramental confession to the priest. |
2. A public act on the part of a government intended as a display of its power and determination to enforce some demand; also, a collective action (e.g. a procession, public meeting, wearing of badges, etc.) adopted by a political party, etc., for the sake of calling attention to its views.
| 1844 H. H. Wilson Brit. India III. 55 The principal manifestation of the British power was directed against Rangoon. 1875 Helps Soc. Press. iii. 57 Instead of discountenancing such political manifestations. |
3. In the language of spiritualists, a phenomenon or number of phenomena by which the presence of a spirit is supposed to be rendered perceptible.
| 1853 H. Spicer Sights & Sounds 88 In..1850..Cincinnati first became the scene of manifestations through recognised media. 1860 All Year Round No. 66. 373 Some of the believers were quite overpowered with this ‘manifestation’. |
4. Hist. In Spanish law, a process by which an accused person might be protected from the animus and precipitate action of judges and removed to a special prison out of their reach. Also, the prison provided for this purpose (= Sp. carcel de los manifestados).
| 1769 Robertson Chas. V (1796) I. iii. 140 He could remove the party accused to the Manifestation or prison of the State. 1818 Hallam Mid. Ages iv. (1868) 280 note, This process [sc. jurisfirma], and that which is called manifestation have been the chief powers of the Justiciary [of Aragon], ever since the commencement of that magistracy. |
Hence manifeˈstational a., of or pertaining to (a) manifestation; manifeˈstationist, one who believes in manifestation.
| 1865 Masson Rec. Brit. Philos. iv. 296 To these beliefs the manifestationists..have sought to add a doctrine. 1893 Fairbairn Christ in Mod. Theol. ii. ii. i. iv. 398 No theory of manifestational forms and aspects can satisfy the conditions. |