manualadj.n.

Etymology: As adjective < Anglo-Norman manuel, manual, Old French manuel performed by hand, involving physical labour (c1200; in Middle French also ‘who works with his hands’) < classical Latin manuālis held in the hand, of a size to fill the hand (the sense ‘done by hand’ appears to be post-classical, as are ‘worked by hand’ and ‘who works with his hands’) < manus hand (see manus n.¹) + -ālis -al suffix¹. As noun < Anglo-Norman manuel, manual handle, handbook (compare Middle French manuel, 1539 in this sense) < classical Latin manuāle a wooden case for a book, a handbook, use as noun of neuter of manuālis. Compare Italian manuale (a1342 as adjective, 1673 as noun), Spanish manual (1377 as adjective, 1502 as noun), Portuguese manual (1548 as adjective, 1560 as noun).With manual operation (see quots. c1475 at sense A. 1a, 1598 at sense A. 1a) compare Old French operacion manuele (1295). With subscription manual , manual subscription (see sense A. 1b), compare post-classical Latin subscriptio manualis (1463, 1566 in British sources); compare also sign manual n. With sense A. 3 compare classical Latin Libri Manualium, the title of a work by Julius Paulus (2nd or 3rd cent.), post-classical Latin liber manualis (c1250 in a British source), and Middle French livre manuel (14th cent.). With sense B. 1 compare post-classical Latin manuale ‘handbook for a priest's daily use’ (frequently in British sources from the 8th cent.), probably after Hellenistic Greek ἐγχειρίδιον enchiridion n.; compare also Anglo-Norman Manuel des pechiez, the title of an influential work by William of Waddington (c1270). With sense B. 5 compare post-classical Latin manuale (1448), German Manual (1511).