Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An ornamental silk band hung as an ecclesiastical vestment on the left arm near the wrist.
  • noun A subdivision of an ancient Roman legion, containing 60 or 120 men.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A handful.
  • noun In Roman antiquity, a military company consisting normally of 120 men in three out of the four classes of infantry (velites, hastati, and principes), and of 60 men in the fourth (triarii), with two (first and second) centurions and a standard-bearer. Three maniples constituted a cohort.
  • noun Hence A company or any small body of soldiers.
  • noun In the Western Church, one of the eucharistic vestments, consisting of a short, narrow strip, similar in material, width, and color to the stole.
  • noun In the middle ages, a garment worn under the armor.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun rare A handful.
  • noun A division of the Roman army numbering sixty men exclusive of officers; any small body of soldiers; a company.
  • noun Originally, a napkin; later, an ornamental band or scarf worn upon the left arm as a part of the vestments of a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. It is sometimes worn in the English Church service.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun rare A handful.
  • noun A division of the Roman army numbering 60 or 120 men exclusive of officers, any small body of soldiers; a company.
  • noun Originally, a napkin; later, an ornamental band or scarf worn upon the left arm as a part of the vestments of a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, and sometimes worn in the English Church service.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin manipulus, handful : manus, hand; see man- in Indo-European roots + -pulus, perhaps -ful; see pelə- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English maniple, from Old French maniple, from Latin maniplus, manipulus "handful, maniple", derived from manus "hand".

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Examples

Comments

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  • Or, more p correctly, personiple, surely?

    May 27, 2008

  • Or even mannipple?

    May 28, 2008

  • See example sentence on mappula.

    January 4, 2011