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manufacture

MAN-yuh-FAK-cher · noun

LatinOld FrenchMiddle FrenchEnglish

Origin

The word comes from Middle French manufacture, from Old French, from Medieval Latin manūfactūra, meaning "a making by hand." That Latin word is a compound of manū, the ablative of manus ("hand"), and factus, the past participle of faciō ("to do, make").

Journey

Literally, it meant something made by hand — a making by hand, not machine.

Related words

It's built from the same Latin roots as manual (hand) and facture (a making), so all three share this old idea of hands doing the making.

More words

From Middle French

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