me·ni·al
Audio Help [mee-nee-uh
l, meen-yuh
l] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [mee-nee-uh
l, meen-yuh
l] Pronunciation Key –adjective
–noun
| 1. | lowly and sometimes degrading: menial work. |
| 2. | servile; submissive: menial attitudes. |
| 3. | pertaining to or suitable for domestic servants; humble: menial furnishings. |
| 4. | a domestic servant. |
| 5. | a servile person. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
menial
To learn more about menial visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| me·ni·al
Audio Help (mē'nē-əl, mēn'yəl) Pronunciation Key
adj.
n.
[Middle English meinial, belonging to a household, from Anglo-Norman meignial, from meignee, household, from Vulgar Latin *mānsiōnāta, from Latin mānsiō, mānsiōn-, house; see mansion.] me'ni·al·ly adv. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
menial
1387, "pertaining to a household," from Anglo-Fr. meignial, from O.Fr. mesnie "household," earlier mesnede, from V.L. *mansionata, from L. mansionem "dwelling" (see mansion). Sense of "lowly, humble, suited to a servant" is first recorded 1673. Noun meaning "domestic servant" is 1388, meynyal.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| menial | |
adjective | |
| 1. | used of unskilled work (especially domestic work) [syn: humble] |
noun | |
| 1. | a domestic servant |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
Menial
Man"sion\, n. [OF. mansion, F. maison, fr. L. mansio a staying, remaining, a dwelling, habitation, fr. manere, mansum, to stay, dwell; akin to Gr. ?. Cf. Manse, Manor, Menagerie, Menial, Permanent.]1. A dwelling place, -- whether a part or whole of a house or other shelter. [Obs.] In my Father's house are many mansions. --John xiv. 2. These poets near our princes sleep, And in one grave their mansions keep. --Den?am. 2. The house of the lord of a manor; a manor house; hence: Any house of considerable size or pretension. 3. (Astrol.) A twelfth part of the heavens; a house. See 1st House, 8. --Chaucer. 4. The place in the heavens occupied each day by the moon in its monthly revolution. [Obs.] The eight and twenty mansions That longen to the moon. --Chaucer. Mansion house, the house in which one resides; specifically, in London and some other cities, the official residence of the Lord Mayor. --Blackstone.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Menial
Mein"e\, Meiny \Mein"y\,, n. [OF. maisni['e]e, maisnie. See Menial.]1. A family, including servants, etc.; household; retinue; train. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Shak. 2. Company; band; army. [Obs.] --Chaucer.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Perform a new search, or try your search for "menial" at:
- Amazon.com - Shop for books, music and more
- Reference.com - Encyclopedia Search
- Reference.com - Web Search powered by Ask.com
- Thesaurus.com - Search for synonyms and antonyms














