manuelles

Manuelles is a French term that chiefly appears as the feminine plural form of the adjective manuel, meaning manual or hand-related. It is used to describe things associated with the hands or with manual activity and must agree with feminine plural nouns. For example, tâches manuelles (manual tasks), compétences manuelles (manual skills), et activités manuelles (hand-based activities).

In contrast, the masculine plural form of the adjective is manuels. This form is used to modify masculine plural nouns, such as outils manuels (manual tools) or transmissions manuelles (manual transmissions). When the noun being described is feminine, the feminine plural form manuelles is used, as in boîtes de vitesses manuelles (manual gearboxes) or mathématiques et sciences manuelles.

As a noun, the base word manuel denotes a handbook or manual, with its plural manuels. In standard usage, manuels refers to multiple manual books, whereas manuelles typically remains restricted to its role as an adjective modifying feminine nouns.

Etymology and usage: manuels derives from the Latin manualis, through Old French, reinforcing its sense of relating to the hands or to manual labor. In everyday French, the term appears across domains such as education (des manuels scolaires), labor (activité manuelle), and technology (boîtes de vitesses manuelles), reflecting its broad semantic field around hand-oriented action.

See also: manual transmission, manual labor, manual dexterity, manuals (as books in English).