Manually

How to spell manually

8 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce manually

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does manually mean?

1. adverbBy hand or by direct human operation, rather than automatically or by machine.

Manually in a sentence

• When the software crashed, she had to enter every figure manually.

• The gate can be opened manually if the power fails.

Where does manually come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb traces back to the Latin noun manus, which simply meant 'hand', one of the most productive roots in the language. From manus the Latin adjective manualis was formed, meaning 'belonging to or done with the hand'. English took the adjective 'manual' through Old French during the late Middle Ages, and the adverb 'manually' was built later by adding the native English ending '-ly' to mark the sense 'by hand' or 'not automatically'. The same manus root quietly sits inside a crowd of familiar words: 'manuscript' (written by hand), 'manufacture' (originally 'made by hand'), 'manage', and even 'manacle' (a handcuff). The spelling trap is the run of vowels in the middle, where the unstressed 'u-a' is easy to slur or drop; remembering the hidden 'manual' inside the word keeps both the 'u' and the double-checked '-al-ly' in place.

How the word is built

• manu- (from Latin manus: hand)
• -al (adjective suffix)
• -ly (adverb suffix)