mannerie

Mannerie is an English noun found in historical texts, derived from the Old French word mannerière (manière) meaning "manner, way, fashion." In older forms of English, mannerie was used to refer to the method or practice by which something was done, as well as to social custom or demeanor. The term could also appear as a variant spelling of the broader noun "manner," or as a descriptor of a particular technique or craft in descriptive writing.

Usage of mannerie varied in its sense and regional spelling during the medieval and early modern periods. It appeared in legal, literary, and glossarial sources as a way to denote the manner in which actions were performed, the customs of a group, or the technique employed in a process. Over time, as standardized spelling and vocabulary evolved, mannerie diminished in frequency and modern English has largely supplanted it with "manner" or more specific terms.

In contemporary scholarship, mannerie is primarily of interest as a historical or philological item—evidence of the lexical variation that accompanied the growth of the English language. It is generally cited in discussions of sense development, spelling variation, and the influence of French on English vocabulary.

See also: manner, manners, mannerism, manière (French). Further reading may include historical glossaries and Middle English dictionaries that document archaic spellings and senses.