Dictionary

mannish en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈmæn.ɪʃ/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English mannish, mannisshe, mannysh, from earlier mennish (“human”), from Old English mennisċ (“human, natural, humane”), from Proto-West Germanic *mannisk, from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”). By surface analysis, man + -ish. Doublet of mennish, mense, and mensch.

Meanings

1. (of a woman) Resembling or characteristic of a man, masculine.
   • She detested the look of herself in large goggles, detested being forced to tie on her hat, detested the heavy, mannish coat of rough tweed that Sir Philip insisted she must wear when motoring. 1928, Radclyffe Hall, chapter 7, in The Well of Loneliness, London: Jonathan Cape, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: Covici Friede Publishers, October 1932, →OCLC, book 1, section 1, page 68:
   • A woman impudent and mannish grown Is not more loathed than an effeminate man In time of action. c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
2. Resembling or characteristic of a grown man (as opposed to a boy); mature, adult.
   • And let us, Polydore, though now our voices Have got the mannish crack, sing him to the ground, 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
   • And so, with an air of mannish superiority, he seems rather to pity the bashful girl, than to apprehend that he shall not succeed. 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter VIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume I, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
   • […] Aunt Lucy found out about it and woke me up the next morning with a switch in her hand. . . . But I got all mannish that morning, Joyce. I said, “Aunt Lucy, you ain’t gonna whip me no more. I’se a man now—and you ain’t gonna whip me.” 1957, Langston Hughes, Simply Heavenly: A Comedy with Music, Dramatists Play Service, act I, scene 4, page 25:
   • It’s things like these that remind me that for all his mannish ways, he’s still just a little tyke after all. 2011 March 30, Mickel Brann, “Don’t take it personal”, in Antigua Observer:
3. (Caribbean, Guyana) Impertinent; assertive.
   • 2014, Kurt Campbell, “Police left 15-year-old to die — Relatives,” inewsguyana.com, 11 March, 2014, “They could have saved his life because he was still living, one woman said when she told the police that the boy was alive he said leave him to die, he’s wanted,” Giddings cried, adding that “I know he bad, he mannish, he does misbehave but I never know he was wanted… how can they make the claim without medical assistance.”
4. (Caribbean, qualifier:African-American Vernacular) Precocious.
5. (archaic) Resembling or characteristic of a human being, in form or nature; human.
   • The Westron was a Mannish speech, though enriched and softened under Elvish influence. 1955, JRR Tolkien, The Return of the King:

Forms

Deriveds

mannish water · mannishly · mannishness

Relateds

boyish · girlish · womanish

Synonyms

masculine · butch · unladylike · manly · grown up