manciple

[ man-suh-puhl ]

See synonyms for manciple on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

Origin of manciple

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 (see concept) + -s nominative singular ending) + -ium-ium

Words Nearby manciple

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use manciple in a sentence

Used ludicrously to mean a feat of horsemanship in l. 50 of the manciple's Prologue.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey Chaucer
One of Chaucer's pilgrims is a manciple of the Temple, of whom he gives a good character for his skill in purveying.
Nooks and Corners of English Life, Past and Present | John Timbs
The manciple bowed himself from the dais and went down the middle of the hall, his keys rattling at his belt.
Devil Stories | Various
In the old black-letter editions, which retain this Epilogue, it is followed by the manciple's Prologue.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 (of 7) | Geoffrey Chaucer
The Prologue is self-explanatory; we see how the responsibility passed from the Cook to the manciple.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 (of 7) | Geoffrey Chaucer

British Dictionary definitions for manciple

manciple

/ (ˈmænsɪpəl) /

noun

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

Origin of manciple

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

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

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