maniple

Syllables: man·i·ple/ˈmænɪp(ə)l//ˈmænəpəl/

maniple noun: a division of the Roman army numbering 120 (or sometimes 60) soldiers exclusive of officers; (generally, obsolete) any small body of soldiers.

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Noun (1)

maniple (plural maniples)

(Ancient-Rome) A division of the Roman army numbering 120 (or sometimes 60) soldiers exclusive of officers; (generally, obsolete) any small body of soldiers.
- [T]hey divided the Haſtati, Principes, and Triaris, each of them into 10 companies, making of thoſe three ſorts of ſouldiers 30 ſmall regiments, which they called Manipuli: And again, they ſubdivided each maniple into two equall parts, and called them Ordines, which was the leaſt company in a...1655, Clement Edmond[e]s, “The Second Commentary of the Wars in Gallia. [Observation.]”, in Julius Caesar, translated by Clement Edmond[e]s, The Commentaries of C. Julius Cæsar, of His Warres in...
- And preſently changing the Order of his March, made his Flank which was next the Enemy thrice as ſtrong as it was before; plac'd ſeveral Spearmen and Slingers between the Battalions or Maniples of foot; planted all the Cavalry in the Wings; And after a brief Excitation to his Soldiers, caus'd the...1709, Caius Crispus Sallustius [i.e., Gaius Sallustius Crispus], “The History of Caius Crispus Sallustius: Containing an Account of the Jurgurthine War”, in John Rowe, transl., Caius Crispus...
(historical) In Western Christianity, an ornamental band or scarf worn upon the left arm as a part of the vestments of a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, and sometimes the Church of England.
- [T]hey, as men thinking baſelie of ſuch ſimple dealing, adde a great deale more to making of their prieſts: they muſt haue oyle, candels, baſens, tovvels, amices, albes, ſtoals, gyrdles, maniples, miters, bookes, croſſes, linnen, bandes, chalices, patens, ſinging cakes, vvine and vvater, flovver...1590, Edward Deering [i.e., Edward Dering], “The Three and Twentie Lecture, vpon the 4. 5. and 6. Verses”, in XXVII. Lectvres, or Readings, vpon Part of the Epistle Written to the Hebrues, London...
- [T]hen ſhall the Juſtice of the Biſhop (his Officer he means) cauſe a Proceſſion to be made with a Prieſt, habited in an Albe Maniple, and Stole, and Clerks in their Surplices, with Holy-water and a Croſs, the Candleſticks and Incense-pot, with Fire and Incenſe going before, and the Friends of the...1685, William Howel, “Sect. XII. The Monarchy of the English Saxons Restored in Britain. […]”, in An Institution of General History, or The History of the Ecclesiastical Affairs of the World. […]...
Synonyms:

fanon
(informal, obsolete) A hand; a fist.
- His poem, however, is meetly enough entituled—Christ Crucified! But the Rev. William Ellis Wall is worse than [Pontius] Pilate. That "wretch," as this miserable calls the Roman governor, was careful to wash his hands of all guilt in the transaction; but the Rev. William Ellis Wall holds forth...1833 December, “The Poets of the Day. Batch the Third.”, in Fraser’s Magazine for Town and Country, volume VIII, number XLVIII, London: James Fraser […], →OCLC, page 658, column 2

Noun (2)

maniple (plural maniples)

(obsolete) A handful.
- [K]novving you a ſerious Student in the higheſt arcana’s of Nature; and vvith much excuſe vve bring theſe lovv delights, and poor maniples to your Treaſure.1658, Thomas Browne, “To My Worthy and Honored Friend Nicholas Bacon of Gillingham [i.e., Sir Nicholas Bacon, 1st Baronet, of Gillingham] Esquire”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with...
- M., in Medicinal Preſcription, is frequently uſed to ſignify a maniple, or handful: […]1819, Abraham Rees, “M [letter]”, in The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature. [...] In Thirty-nine Volumes, volume XXI, London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees...

maniple meaning in Tamil and Indonesian

maniple in Indonesian

division of the Roman army: manipulus

Examples of maniple in a sentence

Crossing the ditch, he was followed first by the men of his own maniple, and then by the whole legion.1828, Titus Livius [i.e., Livy], “Book XXV.—Chapter XIV.”, in [anonymous], transl., The History of Rome by Titus Livius, the Twentieth to...
He [Ignatius of Antioch] was taken to Rome in the custody of a maniple of ten soldiers.1945, H. Burn-Murdoch, “Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr, a.d. 110”, in Church, Continuity & Unity, 1st paperback edition, Cambridge...
The Maniple*: We take from you the Maniple, the Ornament of the Sub-diaconal Office, and we ſtrip and deprive you of the Miniſtry deſigned thereby. [Footnote *: Manipulus.1731, Philip a Limborch [i.e., Philipp van Limborch], “How the Process Ends against a Relapsed Penitent”, in Samuel Chandler, transl., The...
The maniple […] is a band of silk brocade, or other material, not unlike a short stole, which is worn over the left fore-arm.2010, Irving S. Cooper, “The Vestments”, in Dean Bekken, editor, Ceremonies of the Liberal Catholic Rite, 6th edition, San Diego, Calif....

Synonyms of maniple

fanon

Forms of maniple

plural	maniples
alternative form	manyple
alternative form	mainipul
alternative form	manypule
alternative form	manaple
alternative form	manipul
alternative form	manipule
alternative form	manuple
alternative form	manipil

Origin of maniple

From Late Middle English maniple, manyple (“scarf worn as vestment, maniple”), borrowed from Middle French, Old French maniple, manipule (“handful; troop of soldiers; scarf worn as vestment”) (modern French manipule), from Latin manipulus (“bundle, handful; troop of soldiers”), from manus (“hand”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- (“to beckon, signal”)) + the weakened root of pleō (“to fill; to fulfil”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)). The English word is cognate with Italian manipulo (“scarf worn as vestment”) (obsolete), manipolo (“handful; troop of soldiers; scarf worn as vestment”). Sense 2 (“part of a priest’s vestments”) is probably from the fact that the item was originally carried in the hand. It may originate from a handkerchief or napkin worn by Roman consuls as an indication of rank.

Probably from Late Latin manipulus (“bundle, handful; drachm”) (see further at etymology 1), modelled on Ancient Greek δράγμα (drágma, “bundle, handful; sheaf”) which was confused with δραχμή (drakhmḗ, “drachm”).

Words formed from maniple

maniple of the curates

Questions about maniple

What does maniple mean?: Maniple means a division of the Roman army numbering 120 (or sometimes 60) soldiers exclusive of officers; (generally, obsolete) any small body of soldiers.
What is maniple in Tamil?: Maniple in Tamil is வேநற்கருணைச் சடங்கில் குருமார் உடை. See Maniple meaning in Tamil.
How do you use maniple in a sentence?: Crossing the ditch, he was followed first by the men of his own maniple, and then by the whole legion.
What part of speech is maniple?: Maniple is a noun.
How do you pronounce maniple?: Maniple is pronounced /ˈmænɪp(ə)l/ (UK).
What is the plural of maniple?: The plural of maniple is maniples.

Words near maniple in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: maniple (page history and authors); maniple (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-maniple.wav, En-us-maniple.mp3.

Cite this entry: “maniple.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/maniple. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.