manual

¹man·u·al

adjective \ˈman-yə-wəl, -yəl, -yü-əl\

: doing or involving hard physical work

: of or relating to using the hands

: operated or controlled with the hands or by a person : operated only with the hands and without electric power

Full Definition of MANUAL

1

a :  of, relating to, or involving the hands <manual dexterity>

b :  worked or done by hand and not by machine <a manual transmission> <manual computation> <manual indexing>

2

:  requiring or using physical skill and energy <manual labor> <manual workers>

— man·u·al·ly adverb

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Examples of MANUAL

1. She spent the summer doing manual labor on her uncle's farm.
2. He has a collection of old-fashioned manual typewriters.

Origin of MANUAL

Middle English manuel, from Anglo-French, from Latin manualis, from manus hand; akin to Old English mund hand and perhaps to Greek marē hand

First Known Use: 15th century

Rhymes with MANUAL

annual

²manual

noun

: a small book that gives useful information about something

: a vehicle that has a system for changing gears that has to be operated by the driver : a car with a manual transmission

Full Definition of MANUAL

1

:  a book that is conveniently handled; especially :  handbook <an instruction manual>

2

:  the prescribed movements in the handling of a weapon or other military item during a drill or ceremony <the manual of arms>

3

a :  a keyboard for the hands; specifically :  one of the several keyboards of an organ or harpsichord that controls a separate division of the instrument

b :  a device or apparatus intended for manual operation

Examples of MANUAL

1. Here's the owner's manual of your new car.
2. The computer program comes with a user's manual.
3. We lost the instruction manual and couldn't put our bikes together.
4. Please refer to the training manual if you have any questions about your job.
5. Is your car a manual or an automatic?

First Known Use of MANUAL

15th century

Related to MANUAL

Synonyms

handbook, textbook, primer, text

Related Words

schoolbook; grammar, reader, speller; tract, treatise; dictionary, lexicon, vocabulary, wordbook; casebook, encyclopedia, reference; bible, guide, guidebook

man·u·al

adjective \ˈman-yə(-wə)l\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of MANUAL

1

a : of, relating to, or involving the hands <manual dexterity> b : done or performed by hand and not by machine <manual removal of nits and lice—Jerome Potts>

2

: using signs and the manual alphabet in teaching the deaf—compare oral 2