manred

English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English manrede, manred, from Old English manrǣden (“dependence, homage, service, tribute, due”), equivalent to man +‎ -red and a doublet of manrent.

The expected Modern English form would be mandred (like kindred < Middle English kynrede), but the loss of the term from the spoken vernacular has arrested its normal phonological development (this also accounts for the pronunciation /ˈmænɹɛd/).

Alternative forms

• mandred (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmænɹɪd/, /ˈmænɹɛd/

Noun

manred (countable and uncountable, plural manreds)

1. (now historical) Vassals collectively; the men a feudal lord can call upon in wartime.
   • 2009, Eric William Ives, “The March on Framlingham”, in Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery‎^[1], John Wiley and Sons, →ISBN, page 203:

     There he was joined by his sons and addition troops, almost certainly more of the Dudley manred from the Midlands.

2. (obsolete) Homage, allegiance; support of one's feudal superior.
3. (obsolete, rare) The leader of a troop or retinue.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Welsh manred (“atom, mote”), formed from mân (“small”) +‎ rhed (“course, flow”) in the 19th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmænɹɛd/, /ˈmænɹɪd/

Noun

manred (uncountable)

1. (Celtic paganism, Theosophy) The primal substance of the Universe
   • 2003, Kennth Morris, “Druidism”, in G. De Purucker, editor, Theosophical Path Magazine, January to June 1930‎^[2], Kessinger Publishing, →ISBN, page 131:

     They were made of the manred, that is, of the elements in the extremities of their particles and smallest atom … God was in each of the particles of the manred, […]

   • 2004, Lewis Spence, “The Celtic Idea of the Origin of Man”, in An Introduction to Mythology‎^[3], Cosimo, Inc, →ISBN, page 169:

     God pronounce his ineffable name, and Manred, the primal substance of the Universe, was formed. Manred was composed of thousands of teeming atoms in each of which God was present, and each was part of God.

Anagrams

• Erdman, Mander, Marden, Menard, Redman, damner, mander, mrenda, randem, red man, redman, remand

Middle English

Noun

manred

1. Alternative form of manrede