manipulus

Manipulus is a Latin term used in the later Roman Republic and early Empire to denote a tactical infantry unit of the legions. The word, literally meaning a handful, is the etymological ancestor of the English 'maniple' and is related to 'manus' (hand). In standard organization, a manipulus consisted of two centuries, and three manipuli formed a cohort of roughly 480 infantry. The exact size varied by period and legion, with centurions from within the unit commanding the centuries and the manipulus under a higher-ranking officer of the cohort.

The manipulus functioned as a flexible, modular component within the legion's manipular organization, allowing mixed formations and more adaptable maneuvering during battles and skirmishes. It is documented in classical sources such as Julius Caesar's Gallic War, and remains a key element in understandings of the late Republican legion structure. During the later reforms attributed to Marius, the main structural unit of the legion shifted toward the cohort, a change that gradually reduced the prominence of the manipulus as a separate unit. Nonetheless, the term survives in military-historical discourse and in the etymology of words such as manipulate and maniple.

See also: Roman military unit, Cohort, Century, Maniple (liturgical cloth).