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mano

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Pronunciation

Forms

mano f (plural mani or (archaic or dialectal) mano, diminutive manìna, augmentative manóna, pejorative manàccia, endearing-derogatory manùccia)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin manus (“hand”), from the accusative ⟨manum⟩.[2][3][4][1] The word lives on in every Romance language, as French main, Occitan man, Catalan mà, Spanish mano, Portuguese mão, Sardinian manu, Friulian man, Romansh maun, Dalmatian mun and Romanian mână.[3][5] DÉRom reconstructs a Proto-Romance feminine ⟨*/ˈman-u/⟩ and notes that most Romance languages kept its odd shape, a feminine ending in /-u/;[6] Romanian and the dialects of central and southern Italy also kept the old plural ending in /-u/.[6]

In the standard language the pattern ⟨la mano, le mani⟩ settled only late: Ariosto first wrote the etymological plural ⟨le mano⟩ and then removed it, and Cellini used the regularised ⟨la mana, le mane⟩.[2][7] The plural ⟨mani⟩ continues the Latin plural ⟨manūs⟩.[7]

The Latin noun has exact counterparts only in the western Indo-European languages, since words for the hand are often renewed: Oscan manim (accusative), Umbrian mani, and Germanic words for hand and protection such as Old High German munt and Old Norse mund (“hand”).[3][2][8] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *manus and Proto-Indo-European *mon-u- (“hand”);[8][1] Wiktionary also reports a derivation from the root *(s)meh₂- (“to beckon”).[8][1] Nocentini stresses the transferred sense “protection, power” in the language of Roman law.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's earliest record is figurative: mano “side” in the Ritmo laurenziano at the end of the 12th century.[2] The anatomical sense, the hand itself, is first recorded in a Florentine account book of 1211.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Many senses of the Latin word continued in Italian, among them, as DELI notes, the technical sense in card games, for which Vittore Pisani pointed to similar metaphors in India.[2] Italian records mano “handwriting” in the 13th or 14th century, “power” in Iacopo Passavanti in 1354, “handful” in the Tuscan Crescenzi of about 1350, and “coat (of paint)” in Cennino Cennini in the 15th century.[2] In cards, the first player's turn is mano before 1535 in Francesco Berni, and the whole deal from 1916.[2] An Old Abruzzese mano d'uova was a group of five eggs (1398), after the number of fingers.[9]

Idioms see the hand as giving, guiding, striking, working, or as being near and ready.[2] The phrase mettere la mano sul fuoco “to swear to something” was explained in 1688 by the medieval trial by fire, in which the accused had to hold red-hot iron.[2] Among the derivatives, maneggiare “to handle” is recorded between 1298 and 1309, and its noun maneggio gave French manège “riding school”.[2][5]

Timeline

  • Late 12th century – The Ritmo laurenziano uses mano “side”.[2]
  • 1211 – A Florentine account book has mano “hand”.[2][4]
  • 1298–1309 – Maneggiare “to handle” appears in a statute of the wool guild of Siena.[2]
  • C. 1350 – The Tuscan Crescenzi uses mano “handful”.[2]
  • 1354 – Iacopo Passavanti uses mano “power”.[2]
  • 1398 – Mano d'uova “five eggs” is recorded at Teramo.[9]
  • 15th century – Cennino Cennini uses mano for a coat of paint.[2]
  • Before 1535 – Francesco Berni uses mano in card play.[2]
  • 1688 – Mettere la mano sul fuoco is explained by the trial by fire.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. hand, the end of the arm, with the palm, the back and the five fingers, used for grasping and touching: Lavati le mani prima di mangiare.[4][10][7]
  2. (figurative) The style or touch by which a person's work is recognised: In questo affresco si riconosce la mano del maestro.[4][7][1]
  3. (figurative) handwriting.[4][1]
  4. Either side, right or left: la seconda strada a mano sinistra.[4][10][1]
  5. Each of the two directions of traffic on a road.[4][7][1]
  6. (card games) A deal, one round in which all the cards are dealt and played; also a round of other games.[4][7][1]
  7. A coat of paint or varnish: Alla porta serve un'altra mano di vernice.[4][7][1]
  8. (figurative) Help: dare una mano.[1][10]
  9. (literary) A small group of people, a band.[7][1]

Word family

  • manata
  • manciata
  • manesco
  • manetta
  • maneggiare
  • mandritta
  • manforte
  • manodopera
  • manrovescio
  • contromano
  • sottomano
  • asciugamano
  • baciamano
  • corrimano
  • amanuense
  • comandare
  • commendare
  • domandare
  • emancipare
  • mallevare
  • manuale
  • manipolo
  • Latin manus

Usage notes

Mano is feminine although it ends in -o, and its plural is le mani; regional and old forms are la mana and le mane.[10][7][11] Before another word it is often shortened to man, as in a man bassa and man mano.[10] Common phrases include dare una mano “to help”, alla mano “informal, easy-going”, a mani vuote “empty-handed” and fuori mano “out of the way”.[10][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  6. ^ a b Buchi, Éva; Schweickard, Wolfgang, eds. (2008–), Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman (DÉRom), Nancy: ATILF, http://www.atilf.fr/DERom
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  8. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  9. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2351
  10. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 9, 702