Manual
late Middle English: from Old French manuel, from (and later assimilated to) Latin manualis, from manus ‘hand’.
wiktionary
From Middle English manuel, from Old French manuel, from Late Latin manuāle(“handbook, manual”).
From Middle English manuel, from Anglo-Norman manuel, Old French manual, from Latin manuālis, from manus(“hand”).
etymonline
manual (adj.)
"of or pertaining to the hand; done, made, or used by hand;" c. 1400, from Latin manualis "of or belonging to the hand; that can be thrown by hand," from manus "hand, strength, power over; armed force; handwriting," from PIE root *man- (2) "hand." The military manual exercise (1760) is "the art of handling the rifle and other arms with precision and according to the prescribed method."
manual (n.)
early 15c., "small service book used by a priest," from Old French manuel "handbook" (also "plow-handle"), from Late Latin manuale "case or cover of a book, handbook," noun use of neuter of Latin manualis "of or belonging to the hand; that can be thrown by hand," from manus "hand, strength, power over; armed force; handwriting," from PIE root *man- (2) "hand." Meaning "a concise handbook" of any sort is from 1530s. The etymological sense is "small book such as may be carried in the hand or conveniently used by one hand."
