maniple
Americannoun
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(in ancient Rome) a subdivision of a legion, consisting of 60 or 120 men.
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Ecclesiastical. one of the Eucharistic vestments, consisting of an ornamental band or strip worn on the left arm near the wrist.
noun
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(in ancient Rome) a unit of 120 to 200 foot soldiers
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Christianity an ornamental band formerly worn on the left arm by the celebrant at the Eucharist
Etymology
Origin of maniple
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin manipulus sudarium, Latin: military unit, literally, handful, equivalent to mani- (combining form of manus hand) + -pulus suffix of obscure origin; perhaps akin to plēnus full 1
Explanation
In the Roman Republic, a maniple was a military unit. A typical maniple was composed of 120 soldiers fighting in formations of three long lines. In the Roman military, a large unit called a legion would be divided into maniples. These smaller groups of infantry fighters were well suited to navigating the hilly terrain of central Italy. This was a change from previous traditions of larger fighting groups, and the word comes from the Latin manipulus, "a handful of soldiers." A second meaning of maniple is a kind of sash worn by a Catholic priest, originally carried in his hand as a "handful."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Guibourg, wearing the alb, the stole, and the maniple, celebrated this mass with the sole object of making pastes to conjure with.
From Là-bas by Keene Wallace
"And yet I know you have heard that it was the men of my maniple who carried me away, senseless from the blow of a dead man."
From The Lion's Brood by Duffield Osborne
Among these are “one stole, with a maniple; one girdle, and two bracelets of gold.”
From Needlework As Art by Marianne Margaret Compton Cust, Viscountess Alford
"I have heard," said Adauctus gravely, "that the Romans took care to prevent such a trick as that by placing a maniple of soldiers on guard at His grave."
From Valeria The Martyr of the Catacombs by William Henry Withrow
Each maniple was subdivided into two centuries, commanded by a centurion.
From A Smaller History of Rome by Sir William Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
