manual

[man-yoo-uhl, -yuhl]

adjective

1. done, operated, worked, etc., by the hand or hands rather than by an electrical or electronic device.

   a manual gearshift.

2. involving or using human effort, skill, power, energy, etc.; physical.

   manual labor.

3. of or relating to the hand or hands.

   manual deformities.

4. of the nature of a manual or handbook.

   manual instructions.

noun

1. a small book, especially one giving information or instructions.

   a manual of mathematical tables.

2. a nonelectric or nonelectronic typewriter; a typewriter whose keys and carriage may be powered solely by the typist's hands.

3. Military.,  the prescribed drill in handling a rifle.

   the manual of arms.

4. Music.,  a keyboard, especially one of several belonging to a pipe organ.

5. Automotive.,  manual transmission.

manual

/ ˈmænjʊəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a hand or hands

2. operated or done by hand

   manual controls

3. physical, as opposed to mental or mechanical

   manual labour

4. by human labour rather than automatic or computer-aided means

5. of, relating to, or resembling a manual

noun

1. a book, esp of instructions or information

   a car manual

2. music one of the keyboards played by hand on an organ

3. military the prescribed drill with small arms

Other Word Forms

• manually adverb
• nonmanual adjective
• unmanual adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of manual¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; from Latin manuālis (adjective), manuāle (noun) “(something) that can be held in the hand” ( manu(s) “hand” + -ālis, -āle -al ¹, -al ² ); replacing late Middle English manuel, from Middle French, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of manual¹

C15: via Old French from Latin manuālis, from manus hand

Example Sentences

That shaving scene referenced earlier dramatizes why this and other supposedly neutral policies painfully disfavor some people without diving into a medical manual.

Read more on Salon

The Justice Department’s manual includes the post-Watergate requirement that legal judgments must be “impartial and insulated from political influence.”

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To replace eventually the manual stamp on passports and secure better information-sharing between the bloc's 27 states.

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An Airbus manual from 2016—before the maintenance changes—cautioned that if not properly addressed, an aircraft would encounter “repeated occurrences.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

While manual transmissions were once common enough to be called “standard,” in recent decades, they’ve lost some of their cost advantage over automatics, noted Bill Stokes, a product planner for Subaru.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cookbook 
• guide 
• guidebook 
• handbook 
• reference book 
• text 
• textbook 
• workbook