maneggiare

Forms

maneggiare (first-person singular present manéggio, first-person singular past historic maneggiài, past participle maneggiàto, auxiliary avére)^[1] Old forms include Old Italian maneare, Old Italian manegiare, Old Italian manezzare and Old Italian manicare.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian mano + -eggiare.^[4][5][6][7] DEI compares a Medieval Latin verb from the papal Curia (1354), derived from Latin manus (“hand”), and Wiktionary takes the word as inherited from Vulgar Latin *manizāre (“to handle”), formed from the same noun with a verb suffix.^[2][1]

Parallel verbs are Occitan maneiar and French manier (Old French maneier from the 12th century), and Sicilian manijari.^[2][1] Spanish manejar and Portuguese manejar were borrowed from Italian.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the Statute of the Wool Guild of Siena (1298–1309), with the sense “handle, hold in the hands”.^[8][9]

Semantic evolution

In the 14th century the verb took the senses “use skilfully” (in a translation of Livy), “administer” and, in the reflexive, “manoeuvre, manage one's way”.^[8] Its use for training a horse is recorded from the first half of the 14th century.^[10]

This riding sense travelled abroad with the noun maneggio: French manège, and English manage (1560s), first “handle or train a horse”, then “direct a business”.^[11][10] French manéger is recorded from 1615 and German maneggiren from 1838.^[10]

Timeline

• 1298–1309 – The Statute of the Wool Guild of Siena has the first record.^[8]
• 14th century – The senses “use skilfully” and “administer” appear.^[8]
• First half of the 14th century – It is used for training a horse.^[10]
• 1354 – DEI cites the Medieval Latin verb from the papal Curia.^[2]
• 1561 – English manage is recorded of handling a horse.^[10]
• 1615 – French manéger is recorded.^[10]
• 1838 – German maneggiren is recorded.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. To work or shape with the hands: maneggiare l'argilla.^[4][12][1]
2. To handle, hold and move in the hands: maneggiare i bicchieri con attenzione.^[4][13]
3. To use a tool skilfully; to wield: sa maneggiare la sega.^[4][12][1]
4. To master a subject or a language.^[4][14][1]
5. (figurative) To administer, handle money or affairs.^[4][5][1]
6. To manipulate a person for one's own ends.^[4][14][1]
7. (zootechnics) To feel an animal to judge how fat it is.^[13][1]
8. (equitation) To train a horse in its paces.^[5][1]

Word family

• maneggio
• rimaneggiare
• maneggevole
• maneggiabile
• maneggiatore
• maneggione

Related words

• mano
• French manier
• Latin manus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2344
3. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 9, 636
4. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
6. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
7. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
9. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
10. ^ a b c d e f g Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
11. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
12. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
13. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
14. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier