Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Man
Man
(măn)
, Noun.
pl.
Men
(mĕn)
. [AS.
mann
, man
, monn
, mon
; akin to OS., D., & OHG. man
, G. mann
, Icel. maðr
, for mannr
, Dan. Mand
, Sw. man
, Goth. manna
, Skr. manu
, manus
, and perh. to Skr. man
to think, and E. mind
. √104. Cf. Minx
a pert girl.] 1.
A human being; – opposed to
beast
. These
But fair country, and wild beast many [a] one.
men
went about wide, and man
found they none,But fair country, and wild beast many [a] one.
R. of Glouc.
The king is but a
man
, as I am; the violet smells to him as it doth to me. Shakespeare
2.
Especially:
An adult male person; a grown-up male person, as distinguished from a woman or a child.
When I became a
man
, I put away childish things. I Cor. xiii. 11.
Ceneus, a woman once, and once a
man
. Dryden.
3.
The human race; mankind.
And God said, Let us make
man
in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion. Gen. i. 26.
The proper study of mankind is
man
. Pope.
4.
The male portion of the human race.
Woman has, in general, much stronger propensity than
man
to the discharge of parental duties. Cowper.
5.
One possessing in a high degree the distinctive qualities of manhood; one having manly excellence of any kind.
Shak.
This was the noblest Roman of them all . . . the elements
So mixed in him that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world “This was a
So mixed in him that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world “This was a
man
!” Shakespeare
6.
An adult male servant; also, a vassal; a subject.
Like master, like
man
. Old Proverb.
The vassal, or tenant, kneeling, ungirt, uncovered, and holding up his hands between those of his lord, professed that he did become his
man
from that day forth, of life, limb, and earthly honor. Blackstone.
8.
A married man; a husband; – correlative to
wife
. I pronounce that they are
man
and wife. Book of Com. Prayer.
every wife ought to answer for her
man
. Addison.
9.
One, or any one, indefinitely; – a modified survival of the Saxon use of man, or mon, as an indefinite pronoun.
A
man
can not make him laugh. Shakespeare
A
man
would expect to find some antiquities; but all they have to show of this nature is an old rostrum of a Roman ship. Addison.
10.
One of the piece with which certain games, as chess or draughts, are played.
☞
Man
is often used as a prefix in composition, or as a separate adjective, its sense being usually self-explaining; as, man
child, man
eater or man
eater, man-
eating, man
hater or man
hater, man-
hating, man
hunter, man-
hunting, man
killer, man-
killing, man
midwife, man
pleaser, man
servant, man-
shaped, man
slayer, man
stealer, man-stealing
, man
thief, man
worship, etc.Man
is also used as a suffix to denote a person of the male sex having a business which pertains to the thing spoken of in the qualifying part of the compound; ashman
, butterman
, laundryman
, lumberman
, milkman
, fireman
, repairman
, showman
, waterman
, woodman
. Where the combination is not familiar, or where some specific meaning of the compound is to be avoided, man
is used as a separate substantive in the foregoing sense; as, apple man
, cloth man
, coal man
, hardware man
, wood man
(as distinguished from woodman
). Man
(măn)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Manned
(mănd)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Manning
.] 1.
To supply with men; to furnish with a sufficient force or complement of men, as for management, service, defense, or the like; to guard;
as, to
. man
a ship, boat, or fortSee how the surly Warwick
mans
the wall ! Shakespeare
They
man
their boats, and all their young men arm. Waller.
2.
To furnish with strength for action; to prepare for efficiency; to fortify.
“Theodosius having manned his soul with proper reflections.” Addison.
3.
To tame, as a hawk.
[R.]
Shak.
4.
To furnish with a servant or servants.
[Obs.]
Shak.
5.
To wait on as a manservant.
[Obs.]
Shak.
☞ In “Othello,” V. ii. 270, the meaning is uncertain, being, perhaps: To point, to aim, or to manage.
To man a yard
(Naut.)
, to send men upon a yard, as for furling or reefing a sail.
– To man the yards
(Naut.)
, to station men on the yards as a salute or mark of respect.
Webster 1828 Edition
Man
MAN
,Noun.
plu.
men.
1.
Mankind; the human race; the whole species of human beings; beings distinguished from all other animals by the powers of reason and speech, as well as by their shape and dignified aspect. 'Os homini sublime dedit.' And God said, Let us make man in our image, , after our likeness, and let them have dominion--Gen.1.
Man that is born of a woman, is of few days and full of trouble. Job.14.
My spirit shall not always strive with man. Gen.6.
I will destroy man whom I have created. Gen.6.
There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. 1 Cor.10.
It is written,man shall not live by bread alone. Matt.4.
There must be somewhere such a rank as man.
Respecting man, whatever wrong we call--
But vindicate the ways of God to man.
The proper study of mankind is man.
In the System of Nature, man is ranked as a distinct genus.
When opposed to woman, man sometimes denotes the male sex in general.
Woman has, in general, much stronger propensity than man to the discharge of parental duties.
2.
A male individual of the human race, of adult growth or years. The king is but a man as I am.
And the man dreams but what the boy believed.
3.
A male of the human race; used often in compound words, or in the nature of an adjective; as a man-child; men-cooks; men-servants.4.
A servant, or an attendant of the male sex. I and my man will presently go ride.
5.
A word of familiar address. We speak no treason, man.
6.
It sometimes bears the sense of a male adult of some uncommon qualifications; particularly,the sense of strength, vigor, bravery, virile powers, or magnanimity, as distinguished from the weakness, timidity or impotence of a boy, or from the narrow mindedness of low bred men. I dare do all that may become a man.
Will reckons he should not have been the man he is, had he not broke windows--
So in popular language, it is said, he is no man. Play your part like a man. He has not the spirit of a man.
Thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 1 Sam.17.
7.
An individual of the human species. In matters of equity between man and man--
Under this phraseology, females may be comprehended. So a law restraining man, or every man from a particular act, comprehends women and children, if of competent age to be the subjects of law.
8.
Man is sometimes opposed to boy or child, and sometimes to beast.9.
One who is master of his mental powers, or who conducts himself with his usual judgment. When a person has lost his senses, or acts without his usual judgment, we say, he is not his own man. 10. It is sometimes used indefinitely, without reference to a particular individual; any person; one. This is as much as a man can desire.
A man, in an instant,may discover the assertion to be impossible.
This word however is always used in the singular number, referring to an individual. In this respect it does not answer to the French on, nor to the use of man by our Saxon ancestors. In Saxon, man ofsloh, signifies,they slew; man sette ut, they set or fitted out. So in German, man sagt,may be rendered, one ways, it is said, they say, or people say. So in Danish, man siger, one says, it is said, they say.
11. In popular usage, a husband.
Every wife ought to answer for her man.
12. A movable piece at chess or draughts.
13. In feudal law, a vassal, a liege subject or tenant.
The vassal or tenant, kneeling, ungirt,uncovered and holding up his hands between those of his lord, professed that he did become his man, from that day forth, of life, limb, and earthly honor.
Man of war, a ship or war; an armed ship.