English
unmannerly
Unmannerly comes from Middle English unmanerli ‘of a person: disorderly, unruly’, from manerely ‘well-mannered’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *manus ‘hand’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*manus‘hand’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmanus‘hand’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmanuarius‘of or pertaining to the hand’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEmanuāria
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400manere
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘characteristics, manner’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500manerelyas manerly‘well-mannered’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500unmanerli‘of a person: disorderly, unruly’
- Englishearliest quotation 1594unmannerly
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*manus‘hand’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmanus‘hand’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmanuarius‘of or pertaining to the hand’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEmanuāria
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400manere
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘characteristics, manner’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500manerelyas manerly‘well-mannered’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500unmanerli‘of a person: disorderly, unruly’
- Englishearliest quotation 1594unmannerly
Earliest quotation: 1594, Thomas Nashe, The Vnfortunate Traueller: “[T]he Dogge nuſling his noſe vnder the necke of…”
The story
Manerli is derived from maner (‘kind, sort; form, nature; circumstances; method, manner; outward behaviour, manners; morals; custom, usage; cause, reason’) (from Anglo-Norman, Old French manere (‘fashion, manner, way’), from Latin manuārius (‘of or pertaining to the hand’), from manus (‘hand’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- (‘to beckon’)) + -li (suffix forming adjectives). The English word is analysable as un- + mannerly, and is cognate with Danish umanerlig, German unmanierlich, Middle Dutch onmanierlijc (modern Dutch onmanierlijk), Swedish omanerlig, West Frisian ûnmanearlik.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- ‘to beckon, signal’
amaze, mastiff, commandery, 26 more
through Proto-Italic *manus ‘hand’
commander, mandate, commodore, commando, commendation, commandant, commandment, commandeer, 25 more
through Latin manus ‘hand’
main, manage, manual, manufacture, manipulation, manga, manifest, mano, manus, manacles, 25 more
through Late Latin manuarius ‘of or pertaining to the hand’
through Anglo-Norman manere
through Middle English manere ‘characteristics, manner’
Today it means
adj Not mannerly (“polite; having good manners”).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *manus / unmannerly