mana
[mah-nah]
- a generalized, supernatural force or power, which may be concentrated in objects or persons.
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Origin of mana
Borrowed into English from Polynesian around 1835–45
Mana
[man-ey]
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Mannai
or Man·a, Min·ni
[man-ey]
- an ancient kingdom in Iran, in Kurdistan.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for mana
Contemporary Examples
Melissa Cheyney, chief author of the pro-home-birth MANA study, calls the Cornell methodology “misleading.”
Historical Examples
Well, Mana'lio, the chief here, wants a white man to live with him.
John Frewen, South Sea WhalerLouis Becke
One is worn by the girl, and the mana is covered with the other.
Castes and Tribes of Southern IndiaEdgar Thurston
She sits on the mana, which has been brought, and placed on the cloth, by her uncle.
Castes and Tribes of Southern IndiaEdgar Thurston
A man must have mana to do it; if he has not, it will be too late when he is on the hot stone of Tama-ahi-roa.
Magic and ReligionAndrew Lang
If she had no dowry, he shall give her one mana of silver for a divorce.
Archology and the BibleGeorge A. Barton
mana
- (in Polynesia, Melanesia, etc) a concept of a life force, believed to be seated in the head, and associated with high social status and ritual power
- any power achieved by ritual means; prestige; authority
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Word Origin
from Polynesian
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for mana
n.
"power, authority, supernatural power," 1843, from Maori, "power, authority, supernatural power."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper