manure definition

English

Etymology

From Middle English maynouren, manuren (“to supervise, toil”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman meinourer and Old French manovrer (whence also English maneuver), from Vulgar Latin *manuoperare (“work by hand”), from Latin manū (“by hand”) + operārī (“to work”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /məˈnjʊə/, /məˈnjɔː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /məˈn(j)ʊɹ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ma‧nure
• Hyphenation: ma‧nu‧re
• Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ)

Verb

manure (third-person singular simple present manures, present participle manuring, simple past and past participle manured)

1. To cultivate by manual labor; to till; hence, to develop by culture.
   • 1557 July 1, Virgil, “The Second Boke of Virgiles Aenæis”, in Henry [Howard, Earl] of Surrey, transl.; William Bolland, editor, Certain Bokes of Virgiles Aenaeis, Turned into English Meter ([Roxburghe Club Publications; I]), London: […] A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1814, OCLC 940064673:

     A woman that wandring in our coaſtes hath bought / A plot for price: where ſhe a citie ſet: / To whom we gaue the ſtrond for to manure.

   • 1633, John Donne, Epistle to Mr. Rowland Woodward

     Manure thyself then; to thyself be approved; / And with vain, outward things be no more moved.

2. To apply manure (as fertilizer or soil improver).

   The farmer manured his fallow field.

   • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedie of King Richard the Second. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Simmes for Androw Wise, […], published 1597, OCLC 213833262, [Act IV, scene i]:

     My Lord of Hereford here whom you call King, / Is a foule traitour to proud Herefords King, / And if you crowne him let me propheſie, / The bloud of Engliſh ſhall manure the ground, / And future ages groane for this foule act, [...]

Derived terms

• manurable

Translations

See also

• to fertilize

Noun

manure (countable and uncountable, plural manures)

1. Animal excrement, especially that of common domestic farm animals and when used as fertilizer. Generally speaking, from cows, horses, sheep, pigs and chickens.
   • 1985, Biff Tannen (portrayed by Thomas F. Wilson), Back to the Future.

     I hate manure!

   • 1988, Dave Mustaine, "Hook in Mouth", Megadeth, So Far, So Good... So What!.

     M, they will cover your grave with manure

   • 2014 April 21, Mary Keen, “You can still teach an old gardener new tricks: Even the hardiest of us gardeners occasionally learn useful new techniques [print version: Gardening is always ready to teach even the hardiest of us a few new tricks, 19 April 2014]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Gardening)‎^[1], page G7:

     [T]he very wet winter will have washed much of the goodness out of the soil. Homemade compost and the load of manure we get from a friendly farmer may not be enough to compensate for what has leached from the ground.

2. Any fertilizing substance, whether of animal origin or not; fertiliser.
   • a. 1813, Sir Humphry Davy, "Lecture VI" in Elements of Agricultural Chemistry (1840 reprint):

     Malt dust consists chiefly of the infant radicle separated from the grain. I have never made any experiment upon this manure; but there is great reason to suppose it must contain saccharine matter; and this will account for its powerful effects.

3. (euphemistic) Rubbish; nonsense; bullshit.
   • 2005, Ginny Aiken, Design on a Crime (page 217)

     “You know the police think I killed Marge, don't you?”
     “What a load of manure! I couldn't believe it when I read the paper.”

Derived terms

• humanure

Translations

See also

• fertilizer
• muck