manly

Etymology

From Middle English manly, manli, manlich, from Old English *manlīċ (suggested by adverb manlīċe (“in a way befitting a person; nobly, stately”)), from Proto-Germanic *mannlīkaz, equivalent to man + -ly. Cognate with Old High German manlīh (“manly”) (German männlich), Dutch mannelijk, Old Norse mannligr (“human”) (Danish mandlig, Swedish manlig).

adj

  1. Having the characteristics of a man.
  2. Having qualities viewed as befitting a man; courageous, resolute, noble.
    Without a successful defense of one's city, none of the other virtues would be possible; manly courage seems to be a precondition for anything else worth achieving in life. 2001, Thomas W. Smith, Revaluing Ethics: Aristotle's Dialectical Pedagogy, page 86

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