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to the manner born

 - 5 dictionary results
To The Manor Born
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man⋅ner

1  [man-er]
Use to the manner born in a Sentence
–noun
1. 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, -er 2

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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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To The Manor Born
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man·ner   (mān'ər)   
n.  

  1. A way of doing something or the way in which a thing is done or happens. See Synonyms at method.

  2. A way of acting; bearing or behavior.

  3. manners

    1. The socially correct way of acting; etiquette.

    2. The prevailing customs, social conduct, and norms of a specific society, period, or group, especially as the subject of a literary work.

    3. Kind; sort: What manner of person is she?

    4. Kinds; sorts: saw all manner of people at the mall.

  4. Practice, style, execution, or method in the arts: This fresco is typical of the painter's early manner.

    1. Kind; sort: What manner of person is she?

    2. 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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

to the manner born

A person who is “to the manner born” is one who has acquired genteel tastes and habits by virtue of having been born into a privileged class: “Rachel is charming at dinner parties — as if she were to the manner born.” This expression is sometimes mistakenly rendered as “to the manor born.” The phrase is from Hamlet, by William Shakespeare.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

manner 
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]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

to the manner born

Accustomed from birth to a particular behavior or lifestyle, as in At a high-society function she behaves as though to the manner born, but we know she came from very humble circumstances. This term was invented by Shakespeare in Hamlet. Referring to the King's carousing in Danish style, Hamlet says (1:4): "Though I am native here And to the manner born, it is a custom More honor'd in the breach than the observance." The manner in this expression was later sometimes changed to manor, "the main house of an estate," and the idiom's sense became equated with "high-born" (and therefore accustomed to luxury), a way in which it is often used today.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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