mannish

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English

Etymology

From Middle English mannish, mannisshe, mannysh, from earlier mennish (“human”), from Old English mennisċ (“human, natural, humane”), from Proto-West Germanic *mannisk, from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”). By surface analysis, man +‎ -ish. Doublet of mennish, mensk, mense, and mensch.

Pronunciation

Adjective

mannish (comparative more mannish, superlative most mannish)

  1. (of a woman) Resembling or characteristic of a man, masculine.
    Synonyms: butch, masculine, unladylike
  2. Resembling or characteristic of a grown man (as opposed to a boy); mature, adult.
    Synonyms: manly, grown up
    • 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :
      And let us, Polydore, though now our voices
      Have got the mannish crack, sing him to the ground,
    • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter VIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: , volume I, London: S Richardson;  , →OCLC:
      And so, with an air of mannish superiority, he seems rather to pity the bashful girl, than to apprehend that he shall not succeed.
    • 1957, Langston Hughes, Simply Heavenly: A Comedy with Music‎, Dramatists Play Service, act I, scene 4, page 25:
      […] Aunt Lucy found out about it and woke me up the next morning with a switch in her hand. . . . But I got all mannish that morning, Joyce. I said, “Aunt Lucy, you ain’t gonna whip me no more. I’se a man now—and you ain’t gonna whip me.”
    • 2011 March 30, Mickel Brann, “Don’t take it personal”, in Antigua Observer:
      It’s things like these that remind me that for all his mannish ways, he’s still just a little tyke after all.
  3. (Caribbean, Guyana) Impertinent; assertive.
    • 2014, Kurt Campbell, “Police left 15-year-old to die — Relatives,” inewsguyana.com, 11 March, 2014,
      “They could have saved his life because he was still living, one woman said when she told the police that the boy was alive he said leave him to die, he’s wanted,” Giddings cried, adding that “I know he bad, he mannish, he does misbehave but I never know he was wanted… how can they make the claim without medical assistance.”
  4. (Caribbean, African-American Vernacular) Precocious.
  5. (archaic) Resembling or characteristic of a human being, in form or nature; human.
    • 1955, JRR Tolkien, The Return of the King:
      The Westron was a Mannish speech, though enriched and softened under Elvish influence.

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ cf. Richard Alsopp, Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, University of the West Indies Press, 2003, mannish.

Further reading

  • “mannish”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
  • Richard Allsopp, Jeannette Allsopp (2003) Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, University of West Indies Press, →ISBN, page 370: “man·nish /2'2/ adj 1.' (CarA) [Of boys] Impertinent and aggressive; [...] 2.) (Angu, Baha, Dmca, Jmca, StVn) [Of either sex] Unpleasantly precocious. [...] you too mannish...—MBS:4 3. (Antg, Tbgo) [Of children] Pleasantly precocious. [...]”

Anagrams

Middle English

Adjective

mannish

  1. Resembling or characteristic of a human being, in form or nature; human.
  2. (of a woman) Resembling or characteristic of a man, masculine.
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