Mannering

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The behavior that reflects a particular style or way of engaging with others often associated with social class
2. A specific form of conduct that reveals one's personal or cultural identity
3. A particular way of acting or holding oneself that indicates social background and personality

Etymology: Mannering is a gerund or present participle of "manner", so the interesting history belongs to the noun it comes from. The noun reached English from Old French "maniere", which in turn came from a Vulgar Latin form "manāria", meaning something belonging to the hand, from Latin "manus". The same hand-root gives Italian "mannaia", an axe, and Romanian "mâner", a handle, so the earliest sense was closer to handling or handiness than to conduct. English had a native word for much of this territory, Old English "hād", meaning nature or manner, and "manner" displaced it. The word's shift from physical skill to social bearing happened gradually, and in this sense "mannering" describes the outward style of conduct that people associate with a particular social class.