O.E.
man, mann "human being, person," from P.Gmc.
*manwaz (cf. O.S., O.H.G.
man, Ger.
Mann, O.N.
maðr, Goth.
manna "man"), from PIE base
*man- (cf. Skt.
manuh, Avestan
manu-, O.C.S.
mozi, Rus.
muzh "man, male"). Sometimes connected to root
*men- "to think" (see
mind), which would make the ground sense of
man "one who has intelligence," but not all linguists accept this. Plural
men (Ger.
Männer) shows effects of
i-mutation. Sense of "adult male" is late (c.1000); O.E. used
wer and
wif to distinguish the sexes, but
wer began to disappear late 13c. and was replaced by
man. Universal sense of the word remains in
mankind (from O.E.
mancynn, from
cynn "kin") and in
manslaughter (q.v.). Similarly, L. had
homo "human being" and
vir "adult male human being," but they merged in V.L., with
homo extended to both senses. A like evolution took place in Slavic languages, and in some of them the word has narrowed to mean "husband." PIE had two stems:
*uiHro "freeman" (cf. Skt.
vira-, Lith.
vyras, L.
vir, O.Ir.
fer, Goth.
wair) and
*hner "man," a title more of honor than
*uiHro (cf. Skt.
nar-, Armenian
ayr, Welsh
ner, Gk.
aner). The chess pieces so called from c.1400. As an interjection of surprise or emphasis, first recorded c.1400, but especially popular from early 20c.
Man-about-town is from 1734;
the Man "the boss" is from 1918.
Men's Liberation first attested 1970.
"At the kinges court, my brother, Ech man for himself." [Chaucer, "Knight's Tale," c.1386]
[man] 
