a. [ OE. manuel, F. manuel, L. manualis, fr. manus hand; prob. akin to AS. mund hand, protection, OHG. munt, G. mündel a ward, vormund guardian, Icel. mund hand. Cf. Emancipate, Legerdemain, Maintain, Manage, Manner, Manure, Mound a hill. ]
Manual exercise (Mil.)
Seal manual,
Sign manual.
n. [ Cf. F. manuel, LL. manuale. See Manual, a. ]
This manual of laws, styled the Confessor's Laws. Sir M. Hale. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. An alphabet of signs made by movement of the hands, used by the deaf; in it letters are represented by finger positions. See Dactylology.
n. Adroitness in using the hands. [ WordNet 1.5 ]
n. One who works with the hands; an artificer. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. A person who works with the hands, rather than with the mind.
adv. By hand. In some contexts, contrasted with