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.