Etymology and origin of the French word manche
French has two common nouns spelled manche, distinguished by gender: la manche “sleeve” and le manche “handle”, both from Latin manus (“hand”).[1][2][3]
manche1 sleeve
Etymology tree of manche1
From the same root · manche1
Pronunciation
- /mɑ̃ʃ/[4]
Forms
manche f (plural manches)[4]
Etymology
The sleeve is inherited from Latin manica (“long sleeve of a tunic covering the hand; glove; handcuffs”), from manus (“hand”).[5][2][3][6] Bloch and Wartburg note that the Latin word first meant a kind of glove; sleeves came into general use among the Romans only about the 3rd century, copied from Asian and northern peoples, and were at first thought a sign of softness.[3]
Cognate with Italian manica, Spanish manga and Old Occitan marga.[7]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is first found about 1150 in the Roman de Thèbes, meaning the part of a garment into which the arm is put.[5][2]
Semantic evolution
The thing itself changed shape many times, from the tight Merovingian sleeve to the long flared sleeves of the 15th century, and the phraseology followed fashion: manches de chemise is recorded in 1873.[2][8] Figurative phrases arose early: avoir quelqu'un dans sa manche “to have someone at one's disposal” (1480), from the old use of the sleeve as a pocket, and c'est une autre paire de manches “that's a different matter” (1611), perhaps alluding to detachable false sleeves (1628).[5][2]
From the shape came technical senses: a cloth filter (1575), a leather hose on ships (1690) and the wind sock, manche à air (1904).[5] From 1611 the word named an arm of the sea, a sense kept only in la Manche, the English Channel.[5][2] In games it meant a hand of cards (1617) and then one of two linked games or rounds (1803), the two being compared to a pair of sleeves; hence gagner la première manche (1844).[5][2]
Timeline
- c. 1150 – First recorded, in the Roman de Thèbes.[5]
- 1480 – Avoir quelqu'un en sa manche, in Coquillart.[5]
- 1575 – Ambroise Paré uses it for a cloth filter.[5]
- 1611 – Cotgrave records une autre paire de manches and la Manche d'Angleterre.[5]
- 1617 – A hand of cards, in Agrippa d'Aubigné.[5]
- 1803 – Boiste records it as a gaming term for a round.[5]
- 1904 – Manche à air, in aeronautics.[5]
Meanings
Noun
- A sleeve of a garment: en manches de chemise, in shirtsleeves, retrousser ses manches, to roll up one's sleeves, to get down to work.[9][4]
- C'est une autre paire de manches: that's another matter, and a harder one.[5][2]
- A tube of cloth or other material: manche à air, a windsock or a ventilation shaft.[5][4]
- (games, sports) A round, one of the games of a match; a set in tennis.[5][4]
- La Manche: the English Channel; also a department of Normandy.[4][2]
Word family
- manchette
- manchon
- emmanchure
- mancheron
manche2 handle
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Inherited
- First attested
- c. 1180, Marie de France, Fables
- Inherited from
- Latin manicus
- Ultimate origin
- Latin manus
Pronunciation
- /mɑ̃ʃ/[4]
Forms
manche m (plural manches)[4]
Etymology
The handle is inherited from Late Latin manicus (“handle, grip”), a word recorded only in a gloss; it is formed on manus just as manica is.[5][2][3][10] Its first sense was “what one grasps with the hand”.[1][3] The early form was menche.[1][2] Rey points out that the verb emmancher is recorded earlier, about 1160, so the noun must be older than its first record.[2][3] Littré notes that the classical word for a handle, Latin manubrium, had its own Old French outcome, manoir.[7]
Cognate with Italian manico, Spanish mango, Portuguese mango, Catalan mànec and Old Occitan margue.[11][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is first found about 1180 in the Fables of Marie de France, meaning the part of a tool or instrument by which it is held.[5][2]
Semantic evolution
By likeness of shape and use the word was applied to the neck of a stringed instrument (1611, Cotgrave) and to the bone by which a joint of meat is held (1690, Furetière), whence manche à gigot (1834).[5][2] The control stick of an aeroplane, the manche à balai, is recorded in May 1916.[5] Figurative phrases include branler dans le manche “to be shaky, insecure” (1640, earlier branler au manche), jeter le manche après la cognée “to give up in discouragement” and être du côté du manche “to be on the winning side” (1854).[2][7]
Used vulgarly for the penis in the 16th century (Rabelais), it gave the soldiers' phrase tomber sur un manche “to hit a big obstacle” (1914).[2][5] The familiar sense “clumsy person” (1901, Aristide Bruant) probably comes from that use crossed with regional manchot “maimed, good-for-nothing”; the Petit Robert gives it a numbered entry of its own.[2][9]
Timeline
- c. 1160 – The verb emmancher is recorded.[3]
- c. 1180 – First record of the noun, in Marie de France.[5]
- 1611 – Cotgrave records the neck of a stringed instrument.[5]
- 1690 – Furetière records the bone of a joint of meat.[5]
- 1842 – Manche à balai for a tall thin person.[5]
- 1854 – Se mettre du côté du manche.[2]
- 1901 – Manche “clumsy person”, in Bruant.[2][9]
- 1916 – The control stick of an aeroplane.[5]
Meanings
Noun
- A handle of a tool, utensil or instrument: le manche d'une pelle.[5][9]
- Manche à balai: a broomstick; the joystick of an aircraft, (familiar) a tall, thin person.[5][9]
- The neck of a stringed instrument.[5][9]
- The bone of a leg of lamb or a chop, by which it is held.[5][9]
- Être du côté du manche: to side with the stronger party.[2][9]
- (familiar) A clumsy, inept person: s'y prendre comme un manche.[9][2]
Word family
- emmancher
- démancher
- mancheron
Related words
Usage notes
Faire la manche “to beg, to busk” belongs to a third noun manche, borrowed in the 16th century (1532 according to the Petit Robert, 1552 according to Rey) from Italian mancia (“gift, tip”), which Rey thinks came from the French word for a sleeve, after the medieval custom of a lady giving a sleeve of her dress to a knight who jousted for her.[2][9] It meant “gratuity”, went out of use after the 16th century, and returned about 1790 in showmen's slang for a collection;[2][9] faire la manche is recorded in 1828.[2][9]
References
- ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ 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 28 29 30 Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
- ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 206b
- ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 217b
- ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Manche.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/manche. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.
Last edited on . ·