manoeuvre

Etymology

From Middle French manœuvre (“manipulation, manoeuvre”) and manouvrer (“to manoeuvre”), from Old French manovre (“handwork, manual labour”), from Medieval Latin manopera, manuopera (“work done by hand, handwork”), from manu (“by hand”) + operari (“to work”). First recorded in the Capitularies of Charlemagne (800 AD) to mean "chore, manual task", probably as a calque of the Frankish *handwerc (“hand-work”). Compare Old English handweorc, Old English handġeweorc, German Handwerk.

noun

1. UK, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand spelling of maneuver.
   The system also reacts to unexpected traffic situations and handles them independently by employing evasive manoeuvres within the lane or by braking manoeuvres 2021, “Mercedes-Benz self-driving car technology approved for use”, in Fleet news

verb

1. (transitive) UK, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand spelling of maneuver.
   Three pairs of double doors are provided on each side, wide enough to take pallet trucks, and strengthened floors to allow the trucks to manoeuvre inside the vehicle. 1959 November, “Talking of Trains: S.R. Motor Luggage Vans”, in Trains Illustrated, page 523