Etymology From Middle English manuel, from Anglo-Norman manuel, Old French manual, from Latin manuālis, from manus (“hand”).
1
Of an activity Performed with the hands.
She gave a wild manual brush to her locks.1897 October 16, Henry James, What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., →OCLC:
2
Of a machine Operated by means of the hands.
3
Performed by a human rather than a machine.
The teacher urged the students to do a manual check, because some errors aren't picked up by the spell checker.
I'm not used to automatics; I've always driven manuals.
3
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A keyboard for the hands on a harpsichord, organ, or other musical instrument.
4
A manual typewriter (as contrasted with an electronic one).
› A procedure or operation that is done using…
5
Medicine, SciencesColloquial Manual measurement of the blood pressure, done with a manual sphygmomanometer.
do a manual
give someone a quick manual
6
A bicycle technique whereby the front wheel is held aloft by the rider, without the use of pedal force.
7
A similar maneuver on a skateboard, lifting the front or back wheels while keeping the tail or nose of the board from touching the ground.
In short tutorials, the player learns the basics of skating: reverts, manuals and the ollie – that is, sliding round when coming out of a trick, lifting two wheels off the ground and jumping with the board.2007, Friedrich von Borries, Steffen P. Walz, Matthias Boettger, editors, Space Time Play: Computer Games, Architecture and Urbanism: The Next Level, 1st edition, Basel: Birkhauser, published 2007, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 124: