manor

[ man-er ]

noun

1. (in England) a landed estate or territorial unit, originally of the nature of a feudal lordship, consisting of a lord's demesne and of lands within which he has the right to exercise certain privileges, exact certain fees, etc.
2. any similar territorial unit in medieval Europe, as a feudal estate.
3. the mansion of a lord with the land belonging to it.
4. the main house or mansion on an estate, plantation, etc.

manor

/ məˈnɔːrɪəl; ˈmænə /

noun

1. (in medieval Europe) the manor house of a lord and the lands attached to it
2. (before 1776 in some North American colonies) a tract of land granted with rights of inheritance by royal charter
3. a manor house
4. a landed estate
5. slang.
   a geographical area of operation, esp of a gang or local police force

Derived Forms

• manorial, adjective

Other Words From

• ma·no·ri·al [m, uh, -, nawr, -ee-, uh, l, -, nohr, -], adjective
• inter·ma·nori·al adjective
• sub·manor noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of manor¹

1250–1300; Middle English maner < Old French manoir, noun use of manoir to remain, dwell < Latin manēre to remain; mansion

Word History and Origins

Origin of manor¹

C13: from Old French manoir dwelling, from maneir to dwell, from Latin manēre to remain

Example Sentences

A US actor's dream of restoring his ancestral home to its former glory has been left in ruins after the council that owns the 15th century manor house pulled out of the deal.

From BBC

Other animals at the manor including alpacas, goats and horses.

From BBC

A couple overseeing the £11m restoration of a derelict Welsh manor house have appealed for information about two carved wooden angels found at the property.

From BBC

As the manor devolves into something like “Lord of the Flies,” our hedonistic interloper uses this opening to become a usurper.

From Los Angeles Times

“Many of the castles and manor houses across Scotland and England have priest holes,” she said.

From Literature

Related Words

• mansion

Manor Vs. Manner

What’s the difference between manor and manner?

A manor is a mansion or the main house of an estate. The word manner means a way of doing something, as in Please exit the building in an orderly manner. The plural form manners refers to polite ways of behaving.

Both words are always used as nouns, and they are pronounced exactly the same.

Manner has a few different meanings, but they mostly all relate to how things are done or how someone behaves.

The word manor once commonly referred to an estate (the tract of land itself), but it eventually came to refer to the large house on the estate. Still, a house that you’d call a manor is usually a big mansion surrounded by a lot of land.

For example, the mansion where Bruce Wayne lives is called Wayne Manor. A good way to remember the spelling is to ask the question: Who lives in Wayne Manor—is it Batman or Bruce Wayne?

As for how to remember the spelling of manner, just remember that it would be not nice to spell it without two n’s (just downright impolite, really).

Here’s an example of manor and manner used correctly in a sentence.

Example: The grounds of the manor were decorated in a stately manner, with beautiful gardens and hedges. 

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between manor and manner.

Quiz yourself on manor vs. manner!

Should manor or manner be used in the following sentence?

Actors often develop a unique _____ of speaking for the character they are playing.