a way of doing, being done, or happening; mode of action, occurrence, etc.: I don't like the manner in which he complained.
2.
manners,
a.
the prevailing customs, ways of living, and habits of a people, class, period, etc.; mores: The novels of Jane Austen are concerned with the manners of her time.
b.
ways of behaving with reference to polite standards; social comportment: That child has good manners.
3.
a person's outward bearing; way of speaking to and treating others: She has a charming manner.
4.
characteristic or customary way of doing, making, saying, etc.: houses built in the 19th-century manner.
5.
air of distinction: That old gentleman had quite a manner.
6.
(used with a singular or plural verb) kind; sort: What manner of man is he? All manner of things were happening.
7.
characteristic style in art, literature, or the like: verses in the manner of Spenser.
8.
Obsolete.
a.
nature; character.
b.
guise; fashion.
—Idioms
9.
by all manner of means, by all means; certainly.
10.
by no manner of means, under no circumstances; by no means; certainly not: She was by no manner of means a frivolous person.
11.
in a manner, so to speak; after a fashion; somewhat.
12.
in a manner of speaking, in a way; as it were; so to speak: We were, in a manner of speaking, babes in the woods.
13.
to the manner born,
a.
accustomed by birth to a high position: He was a gentleman to the manner born.
b.
used to a particular custom, activity, or role from birth.
[Origin: 1125–75; ME manere < AF; OF maniere ≪ VL *manuāria, n. use of fem. of manuārius handy, convenient (L: of, pertaining to the hand). See manus, -er2]
—Synonyms 1. method. 3. demeanor, deportment. Manner,air,bearing all refer to one's outward aspect or behavior. Manner applies to a distinctive mode of behavior, or social attitude toward others, etc.: a gracious manner. Air applies to outward appearance insofar as this is distinctive or indicative: an air of martyrdom. Airs imply affectation: to put on airs. Bearing applies esp. to carriage: a noble bearing. 4. mode, fashion, style; habit, custom.
A way of doing something or the way in which a thing is done or happens. See Synonyms at method.
A way of acting; bearing or behavior.
manners
The socially correct way of acting; etiquette.
The prevailing customs, social conduct, and norms of a specific society, period, or group, especially as the subject of a literary work.
Kind; sort: What manner of person is she?
Kinds; sorts: saw all manner of people at the mall.
Practice, style, execution, or method in the arts: This fresco is typical of the painter's early manner.
Kind; sort: What manner of person is she?
Kinds; sorts: saw all manner of people at the mall.
[Middle English manere, from Old French maniere, from feminine of manier, handmade, skillful, from Vulgar Latin *manuārius, convenient, handy, from Latin, of the hand, from manus, hand; see man-2 in Indo-European roots.]
c.1175, from Anglo-Fr. manere, from O.Fr. maniere (Fr. manière), from V.L. *manaria, from fem. of L. manuarius "belonging to the hand," from manus "hand" (see manual). Most figurative meanings derive from the original sense of "method of handling;" which was extended when the word was used to translate L. modus "method." To the manner born ("Hamlet" I iv.15) is generally used incorrectly, and means "destined by birth to be subject to the custom." Manners "external behavior in social intercourse" is attested from c.1385.
"Under bad manners, as under graver faults, lies very commonly an overestimate of our special individuality, as distinguished from our generic humanity." [Oliver W. Holmes, "The Professor at the Breakfast Table," 1858]
how something is done or how it happens; "her dignified manner"; "his rapid manner of talking"; "their nomadic mode of existence"; "in the characteristic New York style"; "a lonely way of life"; "in an abrasive fashion"
Man"ner\, n. [OE. manere, F. mani[`e]re, from OF. manier, adj., manual, skillful, handy, fr. (assumed) LL. manarius, for L. manuarius belonging to the hand, fr. manus the hand. See Manual.]1. Mode of action; way of performing or effecting anything; method; style; form; fashion. The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land. --2 Kings xvii. 26. The temptations of prosperity insinuate themselves after a gentle, but very powerful,manner. --Atterbury. 2. Characteristic mode of acting, conducting, carrying one's self, or the like; bearing; habitual style. Specifically: (a) Customary method of acting; habit. Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them. --Acts xvii. 2. Air and manner are more expressive than words. --Richardson. (b) pl. Carriage; behavior; deportment; also, becoming behavior; well-bred carriage and address. Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices. --Emerson. (c) The style of writing or thought of an author; characteristic peculiarity of an artist. 3. Certain degree or measure; as, it is in a manner done already. The bread is in a manner common. --1 Sam. xxi.5. 4. Sort; kind; style; -- in this application sometimes having the sense of a plural, sorts or kinds. Ye tithe mint, and rue, and all manner of herbs. --Luke xi. 42. I bid thee say, What manner of man art thou? --Coleridge. Note: In old usage, of was often omitted after manner, when employed in this sense. "A manner Latin corrupt was her speech." --Chaucer. By any manner of means, in any way possible; by any sort of means. To be takenin, or withthe manner. [A corruption of to be taken in the mainor. See Mainor.] To be taken in the very act. [Obs.] See Mainor. To make one's manners, to make a bow or courtesy; to offer salutation. Manners bit, a portion left in a dish for the sake of good manners. --Hallwell. Syn: Method; mode; custom; habit; fashion; air; look; mien; aspect; appearance. See Method.
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