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Ma·nu

(män, mŭ-)

n.
Hinduism

The primordial father of the human race and sovereign of the earth who first instituted religious ceremonies and devised a code of laws.

[Sanskrit Manuḥ, from manuḥ, man; see man-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

ma·nus

(mānəs, mä-)

n. pl. manus

The distal part of the forelimb of a vertebrate, including the wrist and hand or the carpus and forefoot.

[Latin, hand; see man-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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