Mano

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used in various contexts denoting a hand or the manual aspect of an action; often signifies control or assistance in performing tasks with one's hand
2. A word originating from languages like Spanish and Italian, referring to the physical hand or a metaphorical sense of aid and support
3. In certain cultural references, it embodies the idea of manual labor, helping hands, or gestures involving the hand in communication and interaction

Etymology: "Mano" entered English from Spanish, where "mano" simply means "hand," and it has a surprisingly close cousin in English that arrived by a completely different route. Both trace back to the Latin "manus," so "mano" is a doublet of "manus," the same ancient word reaching English twice through separate channels. In English, the borrowed form carries a narrower and more specialised sense than the bare "hand" its Spanish source suggests. The word is used in the context of aid and support, referring to the physical hand as well as the figurative help one person offers another. The English word "manus," by contrast, stayed close to Latin and turned up in legal and scholarly writing.

Synonyms: hand