manciple

[man-suh-puhl]

noun

1. an officer or steward of a monastery, college, etc., authorized to purchase provisions.

manciple

/ ˈmænsɪpəl /

noun

1. a steward who buys provisions, esp in a college, Inn of Court, or monastery

Word History and Origins

Origin of manciple¹

1150–1200 in sense “slave”; Middle English < Middle French manciple, variant of mancipe < Medieval Latin mancipium, Latin: a possession, slave, originally, ownership, equivalent to mancip-, stem of manceps contractor, agent ( man ( us ) hand + -cep-, combining form of capere to take ( concept ) + -s nominative singular ending) + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of manciple¹

C13: via Old French from Latin mancipium purchase, from manceps purchaser, from manus hand + capere to take

Example Sentences

In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses the Manciple’s Tale to preach the dangers of “jangling,” a term that encompassed most pointless chatter:

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A gentil Manciple was there of the Temple, Of whom achatours mighten take ensemple, For to ben wise in bying of vitaille.

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Manciple, man′si-pl, n. a steward: a purveyor, particularly of a college or an inn of court.

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The Manciple, fearing lest the Cook’s resentment should prompt some future revenge in the way of business, pulled out a gourd of wine, coaxed another draught into the drunken man, and earned his half-articulate gratitude.

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A doctor of physic, a cook, a poor parson, a ploughman, a reeve, or estate agent, a manciple, and two disgraceful characters—a summoner and a pardoner—make up the total of the company.

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Related Words

• administrator 
• attendant 
• curator 
• waiter