Call it an occupational hazard: People who edit and proofread for a living see typos everywhere.
Day in and day out, editors get paid to zero in on mistakes. Those antennae aren’t retractable. The work follows you home, interrupts your news reading, pulls you out of stories in your fiction reading. It’s a curse, I tell ya.
But there’s something even worse than seeing typos everywhere they are: Seeing typos where they aren’t — reading a news article and catching a usage error and feeling all smug — only later learning you were wrong: The word you thought was an error was fine. You’re the one who was in error.
This happened to me recently while I was reading an article about a study on the efficacy of cloth masks for COVID-19 protection. Researchers tested masks by putting them on mannequins, the article reported. Except the illustration that accompanied the article didn’t call them mannequins. In the images, the dummies were referred to multiple times as “manikins.”
I stifled an “aha!” and basked in a moment of smug satisfaction. Then I reined in my typo-slayer triumph. As I’ve learned over the years, it’s always a bad idea to get co*cky about a language issue without looking it up first. So I looked up “manikin.”
Merriam-Webster’s set me straight. “Manikin” is not a spelling error. It’s a synonym of “mannequin.” Less frequently, so is “mannikin.”
Often, variant spellings like these result from people accidentally misspelling a word over and over for years. But that may not be the case here. “Mannequin” started showing up in English around 1900, apparently adopted from the French “mannequin,” which has the same spelling and definition. The French word goes back to the 15th century, when francophones seem to have adapted it from the Dutch “manneken,” which meant literally “little man.”
But when it comes to “manikin,” etymologists dispense with all talk of the French. English speakers started using “manikin” at least as far back as the 16th century, when they adopted the word directly from the Dutch “manneken.” The words may have followed parallel paths into the English language, with “manikin” carving out its place in English well before “mannequin.”
“Manikin” and “mannequin” aren’t exactly synonyms, either — at least not in the minds of some English speakers.
Both words refer to models of the human form, but in some circles, mannequins are exclusively the models that display clothes. People in the design world also sometimes use “mannequin” to refer to dress forms — headless, armless tailors’ dummies used for fashion design.
Manikins, to some minds, are different things entirely.
“Instead of being used to show off clothing, manikins are used to help simulate medical, surgical or clinical scenarios,” insists a blogger for a staffing firm that recruits technical professionals.
It’s a popular opinion. And in language, popularity counts.
A website called AskDifference.com says pretty much the same thing: “The main difference between manikin and mannequin is that the manikin is a life-sized anatomical human model used in education and mannequin is a doll or statue used to show clothing in a store.”
Others will tell you a manikin is a posable figure artists use for reference. Others would put crash test dummies under the “manikin” spelling too.
That brings us back to our article in which the illustrations identify the models as “manikins” but the text of the article uses “mannequins.” In publishing, consistency is important. One way to get consistency is to have a simple rule in place: Always use the dictionary’s preferred spelling, which in this case appears to be “mannequin.” But the illustration appears to have been reprinted from the original scientific study, which reflected the scientists’ lexicon, not the publisher’s.
So “manikin” wasn’t an error. “Mannequin” wasn’t an error. And this was a rare case in which using two different spellings was not an error. Everyone involved was doing their job right. The only mistake here happened when I looked at “manikin” and congratulated myself for catching a mistake.
June Casagrande is the author of “The Joy of Syntax: A Simple Guide to All the Grammar You Know You Should Know.” She can be reached at JuneTCN@aol.com.
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FAQs
So what's the difference between “mannequin” and “manikin”? The term is spelled with a “q” – that is, “mannequin” – when the human form is being used to model clothing for fashion purposes.
Is it manikin or mannequin? ›
So what's the difference between “mannequin” and “manikin”? The term is spelled with a “q” – that is, “mannequin” – when the human form is being used to model clothing for fashion purposes.
Why is it called a manikin? ›
The word comes from the Dutch term “manneken”, which literally means “l*ttle man”. The French form of the word, mannequin, was used in English to mean “artificial man”. Store front mannequins were later introduced as artificial models to display clothing.
What is the meaning of word manikin? ›
manikin. noun. man·i·kin ˈman-i-kən. : a model of the human body commonly in detachable pieces for exhibiting the parts and organs, their position, and relations.
How do you spell Mankin? ›
A manikin is a jointed model of a human body that is used by artists or for medical training. The word manikin is derived from the Dutch word, manneken, which means little man. A manakin is a species of a tropical American bird.
What is a Mankin vs mannequin? ›
While mannequins model clothing in stores, manikins model medical situations and scenarios. The main difference is that mannequins are stationary models that advertise products, while mannikins are more realistic and anatomically correct models that are capable of simulating real-life medical scenarios.
Is manikin a real word? ›
or man·ni·kin
a little man; dwarf; pygmy. mannequin.
What is the origin of the word manakin? ›
Etymology. From the French mannequin, from the Dutch manneken (“l*ttle man”), diminutive of Dutch man (“man”), equivalent to man + -kin; compare ramequin/ramekin. Doublet of manikin and manakin.
What do you call a mannequin without head? ›
Bust mannequins give you the option of creating shape with the torso, without the features of the head, arms and legs. Often for a more traditional look, bust mannequins are generally used for dresses and shirts for fashion brands. Natural Skin or Realistic Mannequins.
What is a female mannequin called? ›
According to Wikipedia, Judy is the name for a female dress form and James is the name for a male dress form.
Charles Worth created the first recorded mannequins for the use of display in Paris, France, sometime in the 1840's. His goal was to make mannequin forms that resembled his customers so that they could truly observe the clothing from an exterior vantage.
What is the nickname for a mannequin? ›
A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles.
What is the plural of manikin? ›
manikin noun. also mannikin /ˈmænɪkən/ plural manikins.
What is the plural form of mannequin? ›
The plural form of mannequin is mannequins.
Is a dummy used to display clothes in a store window? ›
mannequin Add to list Share. A mannequin is a human-like figure that's usually used to display clothing in a store.
What are people who dress mannequins called? ›
Visual merchandisers are fully trained and educated to help you accomplish this goal.
What is a sewing mannequin called? ›
In English a sewing mannequin is usually called "Sewing mannequin" but it is also called a manikin, dummy, lay figure or dress form.
What is high fidelity manikin? ›
High Fidelity Manikin Simulation
A term often used to refer to the broad range of full-body manikins that have the ability to mimic, at a very high level, human body functions (Lopreiato, J. O. (Ed.), Downing, D., Gammon, W., Lioce, L., Sittner, B., Slot, V., Spain, A. E.
What is it called when a bullet bounces off something? ›
: a glancing rebound (as of a projectile off a flat surface) the ricochet of the bullet off the wall. also : an object that ricochets. He was hit by a ricochet. ricochet.
What is a Putla? ›
/putalā/ mn. dummy countable noun. A dummy is a model of a person, often used to display clothes.
The American word is pacifier.
...
dummy Definitions and Synonyms.
| singular | dummy |
|---|
| plural | dummies |
Manakins are especially eye-catching — males are brightly ornamented with red, yellow and blue plumage — and they use their wire-tail in a very unique tactile display. A male will brush his long feathers across the face of the female or another male with whom he is displaying.
What do manakins do? ›
Few birds are as exciting to watch as manakins. They are small, active, and colorful like warblers, have elaborate courtship displays that include dancing and gymnastics, and combine a variety of non-vocal sounds with their singing.
What is the origin of the word Landau? ›
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from either of two places called Landau in the Palatinate and in Alsace named with Old High German lant 'land territory' + auwa 'damp valley'. According to family history the Jewish surname originated from the Palatinate.
What are nursing mannequins called? ›
A Nursing Mannequin, more commonly referred to as a Nursing Manikin, is a lifelike patient simulator used to represent real-world nursing scenarios.
What is a leg mannequin called? ›
Calf: Calf mannequin are used to display leg bracelets or anklets, high heels and boots.
What are vintage mannequins made of? ›
A vintage mannequin on the other hand is solidly made with metal fittings and fiberglass body parts.
What is it called when you love mannequins? ›
Agalmatophilia (from Ancient Greek ἄγαλμα (ágalma) 'statue', and φιλία (philía) 'love') is a paraphilia involving sexual attraction to a statue, doll, mannequin, or other similar figurative object.
What are statues in malls called? ›
A mannequin is a human-like figure that's usually used to display clothing in a store.
Do female mannequins have nipples? ›
In fact, many American retailers removed the nipples of the older mannequins, because they were considered too sexual, Hale said. With the sexual revolution in the 1960s, nipples were brought back to showcase braless fashions.
"Cynthia" was a mannequin created in 1932 by Lester Gaba, a sculptor, retail display designer and later a teacher and writer. An unusually natural and human-looking mannequin, Gaba used the attention Cynthia garnered to further anthropomorphize her.
What is the average fashion life expectancy of a mannequin? ›
The average lifespan of a mannequin at a retail store is seven years. Mannequin styles change just like clothing styles change. And retailers have to stay on top of the current trends in fashion. This is how a mannequin that is still in good condition, can end up in the dumpster.
What size breasts do mannequins have? ›
Mannequins have a 34B bra size, an average waist of 24-25 inches, and 36-inch hips. There are roughly 100 mannequin manufacturers throughout the world.
What is a ghost mannequin? ›
Ghost mannequin [AKA invisible man effect] is a commercial photography technique mostly used to produce clothing images, that involves putting a garment on a mannequin for a lifelike effect on the resulting image.
What is a smart mannequin? ›
A smart mannequin allows you to combine your digital experience of online shopping with the advantages of a physical shop. Your customers indicate via sensors what garment on the mannequin they want more information about. The information is displayed on a touchscreen, which they can then use as they see fit.
What is a French mannequin? ›
[mankɛ̃ ] masculine noun. (Sewing) dummy ⧫ mannequin. masculine and feminine noun.
Why are mannequins called dummies? ›
The word mannequin is French, meaning "an artist's model". This term, in turn, came from the Flemish manneken, which means little man. " In the early years, this word was attributed to fashion models in the United Kingdom. Around WWII, the word took on its meaning as a dummy.
What is the singular plural of umbrellas? ›
umbrella Definitions and Synonyms
| singular | umbrella |
|---|
| plural | umbrellas |
noun, plural bun·nies.
What is that is an umbrella change to plural? ›
The plural of umbrella is umbrellas.
Noun. cashmere (usually uncountable, plural cashmeres)
What is the main plural form of handkerchief? ›
noun hand·ker·chief \ˈhaŋ-kər-chəf\ Definition of handkerchief for Students. plural. handkerchiefs.
What is the plural of pianoes? ›
Option b, Pianos is the correct plural form of piano, hence is the correct choice.
What is the thing you put your clothes in called? ›
As its name implies, a wardrobe is designed for garment storage. Typically, a wardrobe will house a large space with a hanging rod for shirts, blazers, and slacks, and there may also be shelves or drawers to accommodate socks, ties, scarves, and other clothing items.
What is the proper name for a mannequin? ›
A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles.
What is mannequin in American English? ›
mannequin in American English
1. a model of the human body, used by tailors, window dressers, artists, etc. 2. a woman whose work is modeling clothes in stores, etc.
How many types of mannequins are there? ›
They usually come in 3 styles; baby, child, and teenager, so the store can display all stages of childhood.
What is a torso mannequin called? ›
In the case of a torso, also called a bust, the legs of the mannequin have been replaced by a base in the form of a tripod or a stand.
What is the mannequin in Mexico? ›
They concluded that the apparent mannequin was really the embalmed body of Esparza's daughter who had died recently on her wedding day after being bitten by a black widow spider. According to legend, the mannequin is not really a model at all, but the perfectly preserved corpse of the previous owner's daughter.
