manumission

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌmænjʊˈmɪʃn̩/ (UK); /ˌmænjəˈmɪʃən/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English manumissioun,^[2][3] partly from Old French manumission (“freedom, emancipation”)^[3][4] and partly from Latin manumissio (“the freeing of a slave”),^[2][3][4][5] from manumittere “to set free”,^[2][3][4] from the phrase manū mittere “to release from one's hand”,^[2][3] that is, from Latin manus (“hand; power of a master”) + mitto (“to let go, release”).^[2][3] It is related to manumit and mission.^[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Etymonline records it about 1400 in the sense of Christ's redemption of mankind,^[3] and early in the 15th century as freedom from feudal servitude;^[3] the OED's first quotation, for formal release from slavery or servitude, is from 1432–50.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The word was soon used figuratively of any release (1549).^[6] It was applied specifically to the freeing of black slaves in the British colonies by the 1660s.^[3] In older Scots it also meant graduation from a university.^[6]

Timeline

• about 1400 – manumissioun.^[3][2]
• 1432–50 – formal release from slavery.^[6]
• 1549 – figurative release.^[6]
• 1604 – graduation (Scots, obsolete).^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of manumitting; formal release from slavery.
2. An instance of freeing a slave or servant.

Related words

• manumit
• mission
• emancipation

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press