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Etymology and origin of the French word manne

manne1 manna

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1120 Cambridge Psalter
Borrowed from
Latin manna
Ultimate origin
Biblical Hebrew מָן
Etymology tree of manne1
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek μάννα (mánna)
Latin manna
English manna
French manne
The journey of manne1

Pronunciation

Forms

manne f (plural mannes)[1] Anglo-Norman also wrote mana and mane.[2]

Etymology

The word for manna is borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin manna, the food of the Hebrews in the desert,[3][4][5][6][1][7] which is from Ancient Greek μάννα (mánna).[4][1] The Greek word came through Aramaic from Biblical Hebrew מָן (mān).[4][3][1] In Church Latin the word also stood for the Eucharist, after the Gospel of John.[3] Littré connects the Hebrew word with the question “what is this?” that the Israelites asked in Exodus 16:15.[8]

Cognate with Italian manna, Romanian mană and Old Occitan manna.[9][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Cambridge Psalter, in the first half of the 12th century, for the food that fell from heaven to feed the Hebrews in the desert.[3][6][4] A 12th-century translation of the Book of Kings speaks of la manne ki del ciel vint, “the manna that came from heaven”.[8]

Semantic evolution

From the biblical sense the word took figurative meanings: a symbol of the Eucharist in Gautier de Coinci (about 1231), provisions and food in general (about 1350), food for the mind in Rabelais (1532), and any benefit, as in la manne du budget (1842).[3][4] By analogy, from the early 14th century, it named the sugary sap that oozes from certain plants, naturally or after an incision.[3][4][10] The phrase manne des poissons (1755) names the mayflies that swarm over rivers at the end of summer and that fish feed on.[4][3] From the botanical sense, 19th-century chemistry formed mannite (1815) and mannose (1902).[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1120 – First record, in the Cambridge Psalter.[3][6][4]
  • c. 1231 – Gautier de Coinci uses it as a symbol of the Eucharist.[3]
  • early 14th century – The Antidotaire Nicolas uses it for a plant exudation.[3][11]
  • c. 1350 – The Miracles de Nostre-Dame use it for provisions.[3][4]
  • 1532 – Rabelais uses it for food of the mind.[3][4]
  • 1755 – The Encyclopédie records manne des poissons.[3][4]
  • 1842 – Reybaud writes of la manne du budget.[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Bible) manna, the miraculous food sent by God to the Hebrews in the désert: la manne tombée du ciel.[12][3][1]
  2. (figurative) Providential food, an unexpected gift or advantage, a godsend or windfall, as in Ce contrat a été une vraie manne pour l'entreprise.[12][1][11]
  3. Manne des poissons (Canada: manne): mayflies that swarm over rivers and that fish feed on.[12][3]
  4. (botany) A sugary exudation of various plants, such as the ash, the larch or the eucalyptus.[12][3]

Word family

  • mannite
  • mannose

manne2 basket

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1467 statutes of the Paris turners
Borrowed from
Middle Dutch manne

Pronunciation

Forms

manne f (plural mannes)[1] Old French mande (1202), from the Middle Dutch variant.[3][6]

Etymology

The word for the wicker basket is borrowed from Middle Dutch manne (“basket”), a variant of mande.[3][5][1][6][13] Old French had already borrowed mande (“basket”) (1202), which survives in Walloon and Picard.[3][5] Littré compares Old English mand and the English word maund.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1467, in the statutes of the Paris turners, which list mannes et mannequins among baskets of various kinds.[3][5]

Semantic evolution

In 1680 Richelet records manne d'enfant for a wicker cradle.[3] The diminutive mannette is recorded in the middle of the 15th century.[3][5] The word mannequin2, first a basket shaped like a hod (1467), is a separate borrowing of a Middle Dutch diminutive *mannekijn.[5]

Timeline

  • 1202 – The older form mande is recorded.[3][6]
  • 1467 – Manne appears in the statutes of the Paris turners.[3][5]
  • 1680 – Richelet records manne d'enfant, a wicker cradle.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A large wicker basket, rectangular or round, with two handles, used for carrying goods, as in Il porta au marché une manne pleine de pommes.[3][12][1]
  2. (dated) Manne d'enfant: a wicker cradle.[3]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  3. ^ 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 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 232a
  8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  11. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  12. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  13. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 16, 510b

Related etymologies

  • placard · also from Middle Dutch
  • bloc · also from Middle Dutch
  • vase · also from Middle Dutch
  • cabaret · also from Middle Dutch
  • pompe · also from Middle Dutch
  • ruban · also from Middle Dutch
  • étape · also from Middle Dutch
  • crabe · also from Middle Dutch
Cite this entry

“Manne.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/manne. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·