Manure
/məˈnjʊər/noun
Organic material, especially animal waste, used to fertilize soil.
Did you know?Manure is etymologically tied to the old idea of handling or working something by hand, not to any occult meaning, but it became one of agriculture’s most powerful forms of transformation: waste into fertility.
Etymological Timeline
Old French
OF
manoeuvrer / manier
“to handle, work with the hands”
Late Latin
LL
manu operare
“to work by hand”
Latin
LA
manus
“hand”
Middle English
ME
manuren
“to till or cultivate land”
16th Century
English
manure
“to till, cultivate, or enrich land”
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