• amanuensis •
Printable Version Pronunciation: ê-mæn-yu-en-sis • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Someone employed to take dictation and/or make copies (originally to copy manuscripts).
Notes: The position of an amanuensis expanded to that of a secretary and now secretaries are being replaced by research assistants. We need a new, more imposing name for assistants who keep up, now, with paper and electronic copies. Unless we wish to unleash acomputerensis, this might be a Good Word to expand the meaning of and replace secretary. We might even back-derive a verb, to amanuense, if needed. Notice the plural is amanuenses.
In Play: Here is how the word would work in today's office, "Marvin is my indispensable amanuensis; he types, edits, and proof-reads everything I write." Now, despite the sound of its second syllable, it is a unisex noun, applicable to all genders: "Polly Graff is just the sort of trust-worthy amanuensis the office has needed for years." We should launch the rebirth of amanuensis immediately.
Word History: This Good Word comes directly from the Latin word, based on the phrase a manu "at hand" (short for servus a manu "hand servant") + -ensis "pertaining to." Manus "hand" is also found in manacle maneuver, manuscript (hand-written), manage (to handle), manual (a handbook), manufacture (make by hand in ancient Rome), and manure. In Middle English manure meant "land cultivation" from Anglo-Norman main-ouverer "hand-work" from Latin Latin manuoperare "to work (the soil) with the hands". (Luis Alejandro Apiolaza, AKA Uncronopio in our quickly growing marketplace of words, the Alpha Agora, managed to suggest this word in the Good Word Suggestion shop there.)
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