manifesto

1 of 2

noun

man·​i·​fes·​to ˌma-nə-ˈfe-(ˌ)stō 

plural manifestos or manifestoes

: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer

The group's manifesto focused on helping the poor and stopping violence.

manifesto

2 of 2

verb

manifestoed; manifestoing; manifestos

intransitive verb

: to issue a manifesto

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Manifesto Has Latin Roots

Manifesto is related to manifest, which occurs in English as a noun, verb, and adjective. Of these, the adjective, which means "readily perceived by the senses," is oldest, dating to the 14th century. Both manifest and manifesto derive ultimately from the Latin noun manus ("hand") and -festus, a combining form of uncertain meaning that is also found in the Latin adjective infestus ("hostile"), an ancestor of the English infest. Something that is manifest is easy to perceive or recognize, and a manifesto is a statement in which someone makes his or her intentions or views easy for people to ascertain. Perhaps the most well-known statement of this sort is the Communist Manifesto, written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to outline the platform of the Communist League.

Example Sentences

Noun

The group's manifesto focused on helping the poor and stopping violence.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Italian, denunciation, manifest, from manifestare to manifest, from Latin, from manifestus

First Known Use

Noun

1620, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1748, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

manifesto

noun

man·​i·​fes·​to

ˌman-ə-ˈfes-tō

plural manifestos or manifestoes

: a public declaration of intentions or views