manure
English
Etymology
From Middle English maynouren, manuren (“to supervise, toil”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman meinourer and Old French manovrer (whence also English maneuver), from Vulgar Latin *manuoperare (“work by hand”), from Latin manū (“by hand”) + operārī (“to work”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /məˈnjʊə/, /məˈnjɔː/
- (General American) IPA(key): /məˈn(j)ʊɹ/
Audio (US) (file) - Hyphenation: ma‧nure
- Hyphenation: ma‧nu‧re
- Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ)
Verb
manure (third-person singular simple present manures, present participle manuring, simple past and past participle manured)
- To cultivate by manual labor; to till; hence, to develop by culture.
- 1557 July 1, Virgil, “The Second Boke of Virgiles Aenæis”, in Henry [Howard, Earl] of Surrey, transl.; William Bolland, editor, Certain Bokes of Virgiles Aenaeis, Turned into English Meter ([Roxburghe Club Publications; I]), London: […] A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1814, OCLC 940064673:
- A woman that wandring in our coaſtes hath bought / A plot for price: where ſhe a citie ſet: / To whom we gaue the ſtrond for to manure.
- 1633, John Donne, Epistle to Mr. Rowland Woodward
- Manure thyself then; to thyself be approved; / And with vain, outward things be no more moved.
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- To apply manure (as fertilizer or soil improver).
- The farmer manured his fallow field.
- 1595 December 9 (first known performance), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedie of King Richard the Second. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Simmes for Androw Wise, […], published 1597, OCLC 213833262, [Act IV, scene i]:
- My Lord of Hereford here whom you call King, / Is a foule traitour to proud Herefords King, / And if you crowne him let me propheſie, / The bloud of Engliſh ſhall manure the ground, / And future ages groane for this foule act, [...]
Derived terms
- manurable
Translations
to cultivate by manual labor
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to apply manure
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See also
- to fertilize
Noun
manure (countable and uncountable, plural manures)
- Animal excrement, especially that of common domestic farm animals and when used as fertilizer. Generally speaking, from cows, horses, sheep, pigs and chickens.
- 1985, Biff Tannen (portrayed by Thomas F. Wilson), Back to the Future.
- I hate manure!
- 1988, Dave Mustaine, "Hook in Mouth", Megadeth, So Far, So Good... So What!.
- M, they will cover your grave with manure
- 2014 April 21, Mary Keen, “You can still teach an old gardener new tricks: Even the hardiest of us gardeners occasionally learn useful new techniques [print version: Gardening is always ready to teach even the hardiest of us a few new tricks, 19 April 2014]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Gardening), page G7:
- [T]he very wet winter will have washed much of the goodness out of the soil. Homemade compost and the load of manure we get from a friendly farmer may not be enough to compensate for what has leached from the ground.
- 1985, Biff Tannen (portrayed by Thomas F. Wilson), Back to the Future.
- Any fertilizing substance, whether of animal origin or not; fertiliser.
- a. 1813, Sir Humphry Davy, "Lecture VI" in Elements of Agricultural Chemistry (1840 reprint):
- Malt dust consists chiefly of the infant radicle separated from the grain. I have never made any experiment upon this manure; but there is great reason to suppose it must contain saccharine matter; and this will account for its powerful effects.
- a. 1813, Sir Humphry Davy, "Lecture VI" in Elements of Agricultural Chemistry (1840 reprint):
- (euphemistic) Rubbish; nonsense; bullshit.
- 2005, Ginny Aiken, Design on a Crime (page 217)
- “You know the police think I killed Marge, don't you?”
“What a load of manure! I couldn't believe it when I read the paper.”
- “You know the police think I killed Marge, don't you?”
- 2005, Ginny Aiken, Design on a Crime (page 217)
Derived terms
- humanure
Translations
excrement
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See also
- fertilizer
- muck