Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Gentleness of manner; mildness.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Tameness; habitual mildness or gentleness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Archaic Tameness; gentleness; mildness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun archaic Gentleness, tameness.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mānsuētūdō, from mānsuētus, past participle of mānsuēscere, to tame : manus, hand; see man- in Indo-European roots + suēscere, to accustom; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Via Middle French mansuetude or directly from Latin mansuētūdō, from mansuētus, perfect passive participle of mansuēscō ("I tame"), from manus ("hand") + suēscō ("become accustomed").

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Examples

  • I am also enjoying sounding out your word of the day ... "mansuetude" which is also slow and gentle like its meaning ...

    mansuetude - French Word-A-Day 2010

  • It gives a "mansuetude" (new word for me) to the chill of winter.

    mansuetude - French Word-A-Day 2010

  • It gives a "mansuetude" new word for me to the chill of winter.

    mansuetude - French Word-A-Day 2010

  • I am also enjoying sounding out your word of the day..."mansuetude" which is also slow and gentle like its meaning...

    mansuetude - French Word-A-Day 2010

  • Listed below are links to weblogs that reference mansuetude:

    mansuetude - French Word-A-Day 2010

  • Listed below are links to weblogs that reference mansuetude:

    mansuetude - French Word-A-Day 2010

  • Paul, I vaticinate that the mansuetude of your response will bring out the best of my muliebrity.

    Save the language! « Write Anything 2008

  • It is apodeictic that the caliginosity of the agrestic embrangle periapts with mansuetude.

    Save the language! « Write Anything 2008

  • With mansuetude compossible with my muliebrity, I condemn those niddering, olid morons who, in caliginosity of understanding, vilipend our English by attempting to exuviate words for which they cannot see any present custom.

    A malison on the poor of spirit. Angry Professor 2008

  • With mansuetude compossible with my muliebrity, I condemn those niddering, olid morons who, in caliginosity of understanding, vilipend our English by attempting to exuviate words for which they cannot see any present custom.

    Archive 2008-10-01 Angry Professor 2008

Comments

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  • from the Ring and the Book.

    October 1, 2007

  • as if your "manner" is falling into "desuetude"

    January 28, 2008

  • See a usage note on hemicrania.

    February 27, 2008

  • From p. 14 of Patrick Leigh Fermor's "A Time to Keep Silence":

    Their eyelids were always downcast; and, if now and then they were raised, no treacherous glint appeared, nothing but a sedulously cultivated calmness, withdrawal and mansuetude and occasionally an expression of remote and burnt-out melancholy.

    January 21, 2014

  • With filial love the bro is imbued;

    To help his old Ma’s his habitude.

    And though it require

    He greatly perspire

    That noble damp is man sweat, dude.

    December 6, 2014