manly

Etymology

It is formed from English man + -ly,^[2][3][4][5] the adverb going back to Old English manlīce (“manfully”).^[6][7][1] The Middle English Dictionary takes the adjective manli as probably Old English too,^[7] and Dictionary.com gives an Old English adjective manlīc;^[6] Wiktionary reconstructs an unrecorded Old English adjective behind the adverb, from Proto-West Germanic *mannlīk and Proto-Germanic *mannlīkaz.^[1] The OED treats the adjective as a Middle English formation beside the earlier adverb.^[2] It compares Middle Low German manlīk, Old High German manlīh (whence manlich and German männlich) and Old Norse mannligr,^[2][1] and Wiktionary adds Dutch mannelijk, Swedish manlig and Danish mandlig.^[1] The Middle English Dictionary sees Norse influence in the adverb as well.^[7] Old English also had werlic (“male, masculine, manly”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adverb, in a manner thought typical of a man, manfully or courageously, is in Beowulf.^[2][4] The adjective is first recorded before 1225, in Vices and Virtues, meaning "belonging to human beings, human".^[2][7] Etymonline dates the adjective to about 1200, with both the senses "human" and "having the virtues proper to a man".^[5]

Semantic evolution

The sense "human", which followed man in its wider meaning, was obsolete by the 18th century;^[2][4] the sense that followed man as a male person, having the qualities traditionally associated with men as opposed to women or children, such as courage, strength and independence, is recorded from about 1225, in the Ancrene Riwle.^[2] Etymonline lists resoluteness, independence, steadfastness and reliability among these virtues.^[5] Of things and qualities befitting a man it is recorded from about 1385, in Chaucer's Knight's Tale;^[2] Etymonline dates "masculine, not boyish or womanish, proper to fighting men" to the late 14th century.^[5] Middle English also used both words for "humane, generous": the adjective in Piers Plowman (about 1400), the adverb from before 1375.^[2][7] From about 1511 it could describe a woman with masculine features; from 1579 it also meant adult or mature.^[2] Johnson (1755) defined it as "manlike; becoming a man; firm; brave; stout; undaunted; undismayed".^[8] The Century Dictionary, quoted by Etymonline, held that manly, like womanly, had gathered the highest ideas of what is noble in a man, as opposed to what is fawning or underhand.^[5] The adverb is now rare and chiefly regional;^[2] Shakespeare used it once, in Macbeth, for "excellently".^[2][4]

Timeline

• Old English – adverb, manfully, courageously.^[2][4]
• before 1225 – adjective, belonging to human beings, human (obsolete by 1743).^[2][7] Etymonline dates the adjective to about 1200.^[5]
• c. 1225 – having the qualities traditionally associated with men, courageous, strong.^[2]
• before 1375 – adverb, like a human being; humanely, courteously (obsolete by 1500).^[2]
• c. 1385 – of a thing or quality, befitting a man, masculine.^[2]
• c. 1400 – humane, charitable, generous (obsolete).^[2]
• c. 1511 – of a woman, mannish.^[2]
• 1579 – adult, mature.^[2]
• before 1616 – adverb, excellently, in Shakespeare's Macbeth.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Having qualities traditionally thought typical of or fitting for a man, such as courage, strength and resolve: He took the bad news in a calm and manly way.^[9][3][2]
2. Characteristic of or suitable for a man; masculine: a deep, manly laugh.^[9][3][2]
3. Of a woman, having features thought typical of a man; mannish.^[2]
4. (obsolete) Belonging to human beings; human (1225–1743).^[2][4][7]

Adverb

1. (archaic) In a manly way; manfully, courageously.^[4][3][2]
2. (obsolete) Excellently (1616).^[2][4][3]

Word family

• manliness
• unmanly

Related words

• man
• manful
• mannish
• manlike
• manhood

Usage notes

Dictionary.com distinguishes manly, usually approving and suggesting traits admired in men such as determination and steadiness, from manful, which stresses courage and fortitude, and mannish, mostly disparaging and used of a woman's manner or dress.^[6] The Century Dictionary, quoted by Etymonline, likewise saw manful as stressing a man's staunchness and energy as opposed to weakness or cowardice.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
8. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
9. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins