Etymograph

English

manfully

Manfully comes from Middle English manfully ‘Bravely, strongly, daringly, determinedly’, from man ‘man, person’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mon-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mon-1‘man, human being’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mann-1‘human, human being, person, individual’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mann1‘person, human, individual’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150mann1‘person’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500man2‘man, person’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500manful3‘Noble, brave, strong, daring, determined’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500manfully4‘Bravely, strongly, daringly, determinedly’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1678manfully4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Middle English man
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Middle English manful
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Middle English manfully
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English manfully
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World: “[…] Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mon-Wiktionary, Middle English man‘man, human being’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mann-Wiktionary, Middle English man‘human, human being, person, individual’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mannWiktionary, Middle English man‘person, human, individual’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150mannWiktionary, Middle English man‘person’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500manWiktionary, Middle English manful‘man, person’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500manfulWiktionary, Middle English manfully‘Noble, brave, strong, daring, determined’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500manfullyWiktionary, English manfully‘Bravely, strongly, daringly, determinedly’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1678manfullyWiktionary, English manfully. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World: “[…] Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mon- ‘man, human being’

mush, 14 more

through Proto-Germanic *mann- ‘human, human being, person, individual’

men, mankind, mannequin, munchkin, mensch, shipman, mannish, 13 more

through Proto-West Germanic *mann ‘person, human, individual’

mann, 13 more

through Old English mann ‘person’

chairman, madman, horseman, 11 more

through Middle English man ‘man, person’

man, 2 more

Today it means

adv In a manful manner; with the characteristics considered typical of a man, such as strength, courage, and determination.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “manfully”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Middle English man, Middle English manful, Middle English manfully. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mon- / manfully

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