Online Etymology Dictionary

manufacturer (n.): 1719, "worker in a manufacturing establishment," agent noun from manufacture (v.). Meaning "one who employs workers in manufacturing" is from 1752.
manumission (n.): c. 1400, from Old French manumission "freedom, emancipation," and directly from Latin manumissionem (nominative manumissio) "freeing of a slave," noun of action from past participle stem of manumittere "to set free," from the phrase manu mittere "release from control," from manu, ablative of manus "power of a master," literally "hand" (see manual (adj.)) + mittere "let go, release" (see mission).
manumit (v.): early 15c., from Latin manumittere "to release, set at liberty, emancipate," literally "to send from one's 'hand'" (i.e. "control"); see manumission. Related: Manumitted; manumitting.
manure (v.): c. 1400, "to cultivate land," also "to hold property," from Anglo-French meynoverer, Old French manouvrer "to work with the hands, cultivate; carry out; make, produce," from Medieval Latin manuoperare (see maneuver (n.)). Sense of "work the earth" led to "put dung on the soil" (1590s) and to the current noun meaning "dung spread as fertilizer," which is first attested 1540s. Until late 18c., however, the verb still was used in a figurative sense of "to cultivate the mind, train the mental powers."
It is ... his own painfull study ... that manures and improves his ministeriall gifts. [Milton, 1641]
Related: Manured; manuring.
manure (n.): "dung or compost used as fertilizer," 1540s, see manure (v.).
manuscript (n.): "document or book written by hand," 1590s (adj.), c. 1600 (n.), from Medieval Latin manuscriptum "document written by hand," from Latin manu scriptus "written by hand," from manu, ablative of manus "hand" (see manual (adj.)) + scriptus (neuter scriptum), past participle of scribere "to write" (see script (n.)). Abbreviation is MS, plural MSS.
Manx: 1798, earlier Manks (1620s), metathesized from Maniske (1570s) "of the Isle of Man," from Old Norse *manskr, from Man (from Old Irish Manu "Isle of Man") + suffix -iskr "ish." Manx cat, without a tail, first attested 1843.
manxome: 1871, a word invented by Lewis Carroll.
many (adj.): Old English monig, manig "many, many a, much," from Proto-Germanic *managaz (source also of Old Saxon manag, Swedish mången, Old Frisian manich, Dutch menig, Old High German manag, German manch, Gothic manags), from PIE *menegh- "copious" (source also of Old Church Slavonic munogu "much, many," Old Irish menicc, Welsh mynych "frequent," Old Irish magham "gift"). Pronunciation altered by influence of any (see manifold).
many (n.): Old English menigu, from many (adj.). The many "the multitude" attested from 1520s. Compare also Gothic managei "multitude, crowd," Old High German managi "large number, plurality," German Menge "multitude."
many-headed (adj.): 1580s; see many + head (n.).
Mao (adj.): "simple style of clothing based on dress in Communist China," 1967, from French, from name of Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976), Chinese communist leader. Related: Maoism.
Maoist: 1951 (adj.), 1963 (n.), in reference to the sort of Marxist-Leninist communist doctrines invented by Chairman Mao Tse-tung of China.
Maori (n.): "Polynesian inhabitant of New Zealand," 1843, native name, said to mean "of the usual kind."
map (n.): 1520s, shortening of Middle English mapemounde "map of the world" (late 14c.), and in part from Middle French mappe, shortening of Old French mapemonde, both English and French words from Medieval Latin mappa mundi "map of the world;" first element from Latin mappa "napkin, cloth" (on which maps were drawn), "tablecloth, signal-cloth, flag," said by Quintilian to be of Punic origin (compare Talmudic Hebrew mappa, contraction of Mishnaic menaphah "a fluttering banner, streaming cloth") + Latin mundi "of the world," from mundus "universe, world" (see mundane). Commonly used 17c. in a figurative sense of "epitome; detailed representation." To put (something) on the map "bring it to wide attention" is from 1913.
map (v.): 1580s, from map (n.). Related: Mapped, mapping. To map (something) out in the figurative sense is from 1610s.
maple (n.): c. 1300, from Old English mapultreow "maple tree," also mapolder, mapuldre, related to Old Norse möpurr, Old Saxon mapulder, Middle Low German mapeldorn, from Proto-Germanic *maplo-. There also was a Proto-Germanic *matlo- (source also of Old High German mazzaltra, German maszholder), but the connection and origins are mysterious. Formerly with adjectival form mapelin (early 15c.; Old English mapuldern). Maple syrup attested from 1824, American English. The maple leaf is mentioned as the emblem of Canada from 1850.
MapQuest: Internet mapping service, known by that name from 1996; acquired by AOL in 2000. As a verb, by 1997.
maquette (n.): "artist's preliminary model or sketch," 1903, from French maquette (18c.), from Italian macchietta "speck," diminutive of macchia "spot," from macchiare "to stain," from Latin maculare (see maculate). From 1893 as a French word in English.
maquis (n.): 1858, from French maquis "undergrowth, shrub," especially in reference to the dense scrub of certain Mediterranean coastal regions, long the haunts of outlaws and fugitives, from Corsican Italian macchia "spot," from Latin macula "spot, stain;" the landscapes so called from their mottled appearance. Used figuratively of French resistance in World War II (1943). A member is a maquisard.
mar (v.): Old English merran (Anglian), mierran (West Saxon) "to waste, spoil," from Proto-Germanic *marzjan (source also of Old Frisian meria, Old High German marren "to hinder, obstruct," Gothic marzjan "to hinder, offend"), from PIE root *mers- "to trouble, confuse" (source also of Sanskrit mrsyate "forgets, neglects," Lithuanian mirszati "to forget"). Related: Marred; marring.
maraca (n.): gourd rattle used as a percussion instrument, 1813, from Portuguese, from Brazilian native name.
maracas: see maraca.
Maranatha: late 14c., a Bible word, from Greek maranatha, untranslated Semitic word in I Cor. xvi:22, where it follows Greek anathema, and therefore has been taken as part of a phrase and used as "a curse." Usually assumed to be from Aramaic maran atha "Our Lord has come," which would make the common usage erroneous (see OED entry), but possibly it is a false transliteration of Hebrew mohoram atta "you are put under the ban," which would make more sense in the context. [Klein]
maraschino (n.): 1791, "cherry liqueur," from Italian maraschino "strong, sweet liqueur made from juice of the marasca" (a bitter black cherry), a shortening of amarasca, from amaro "bitter," from Latin amarus "sour," from PIE root *om- "raw, bitter." Maraschino cherry, one preserved in real or imitation maraschino, first recorded 1820.
marasmus (n.): "wasting away of the body," 1650s, Modern Latin, from Greek marasmos "a wasting away, withering, decay," from marainein "to quench, weaken, wither," from PIE root *mer- "to rub away, harm" (see morbid). Maras (n.) evidently in the same sense is attested from mid-15c. Related: Marasmic.
Maratha: state in southwestern India, also in reference to the Scytho-Dravidian race living there, 1763 (Mharatta), from Marathi Maratha, corresponding to Sanskrit Maharastrah, literally "great country," from maha- "great" (from PIE root *meg- "great;" see magnate) + rastra "kingdom," from raj "to rule" (see rajah).
marathon (n.): 1896, marathon race, from story of Greek hero Pheidippides, who in 490 B.C.E. ran the 26 miles and 385 yards to Athens from the Plains of Marathon to tell of the allied Greek victory there over Persian army. The original story (Herodotus) is that he ran from Athens to Sparta to seek aid, which arrived too late to participate in the battle. Introduced as an athletic event in the 1896 revival of the Olympic Games, based on a later, less likely story, and quickly extended to mean "any very long event or activity." The place name is literally "fennel-field." Related: Marathoner (by 1912).
maraud (v.): 1690s, from French marauder (17c.), from Middle French maraud "rascal" (15c.), of unknown origin, perhaps from French dialectal maraud "tomcat," echoic of its cry. A word popularized in several languages during the Thirty Years War (Spanish merodear, German marodiren, marodieren "to maraud," marodebruder "straggler, deserter") by punning association with Count Mérode, imperialist general. Related: Marauded; marauding.
marauder (n.): 1690s, agent noun from maraud (v.).
marble (n.): type of stone much used in sculpture, monuments, etc., early 14c., by dissimilation from marbra (mid-12c.), from Old French marbre (which itself underwent dissimilation of 2nd -r- to -l- in 14c.; marbre persisted in English into early 15c.), from Latin marmor, from or cognate with Greek marmaros "marble, gleaming stone," of unknown origin, perhaps originally an adjective meaning "sparkling," which would connect it with marmairein "to shine." The Latin word was taken directly into Old English as marma. German Marmor is restored Latin from Old High German marmul. Meaning "little balls of marble used in a children's game" is attested from 1690s.
marble (adj.): late 14c., "of marble," from marble (n.). Meaning "mottled like marble" is mid-15c. Marble cake is attested from 1864.
marble (v.): 1590s (implied in marbled), "to give (something) the appearance of marble," from marble (n.). Related: Marbling.
marbles (n.): children's game, from plural of marble (n.); first recorded by that name in 1709 but probably older (it was known in 13c. German as tribekugeln) and originally played with small balls of polished marble or alabaster, later clay; the modern glass ones with the colored swirl date from 1840s.

Meaning "mental faculties, common sense" is from 1927, American English slang, perhaps [OED] from earlier slang marbles "furniture, personal effects, 'the goods' " (1864, Hotten), a corrupt translation of French meubles (plural) "furniture" (see furniture).
marcasite (n.): crystalized pyrite, early 15c., from Medieval Latin marchasita, of obscure origin, perhaps via Spanish, probably from Arabic, though OED doubts this. Perhaps ultimately from Persian marquashisha [Klein]. "This name has been used for a number of substances but mainly for iron pyrites and especially for the crystalline forms used in the 18th century for ornaments." [Flood]
Marcella: fem. proper name, Latin, fem. of Marcellus.
Marcellus: masc. proper name, Latin, diminutive of Marcus.
marcescent (adj.): "withering," 1727, from Latin marcescentem (nominative marcescens), present participle of marcescere "to wither, languish, droop, decay, pine away," inchoative of marcere "to wither, droop, be faint," from Proto-Italic *mark-e-, from PIE root *merk- "to decay" (source also of Sanskrit marka- "destruction, death;" Avestan mareka- "ruin;" Lithuanian mirkti "become weak," merkti "to soak;" Ukrainian dialect morokva "quagmire, swamp," Middle High German meren "dip bread into water or wine," perhaps also Middle Irish mraich, Welsh brag "a sprouting out; malt").
march (v.): "to walk with regular tread," early 15c., from Middle French marcher "to march, walk," from Old French marchier "to stride, march," originally "to trample, tread underfoot," perhaps from Frankish *markon or some other Germanic source related to obsolete Middle English march (n.) "borderland" (see march (n.2)). Or possibly from Gallo-Roman *marcare, from Latin marcus "hammer," via notion of "tramping the feet." Meaning "to cause to march" is from 1590s. Related: Marched; marching. Marching band is attested from 1852. Italian marciare, Spanish marchar are said to be from French.
march (n.2): "boundary," late 13c. (in reference to the borderlands beside Wales, rendering Old English Mercia), from Old French marche "boundary, frontier," from Frankish *marka or some other Germanic source (compare Old High German marchon "to mark out, delimit," German Mark "boundary;" see mark (n.1)). Now obsolete. There was a verb in Middle English (c. 1300), "to have a common boundary," from Old French marchier "border upon, lie alongside." This is the old Germanic word for "border, boundary," but as it came to mean "borderland" in many languages new words were borrowed in the original sense (compare border(n.), bound (n.)"border, boundary"). Modern German Grenze is from Middle High German grenize (13c., replacing Old High German marcha), a loan-word from Slavic (compare Polish and Russian granica). Dutch grens, Danish groense, Swedish gräns are from German.
march (n.1): "act of marching," 1580s, from march (v.) or else from Middle French marche (n.), from marcher (v.). The musical sense first attested 1570s, from notion of "rhythmic drumbeat" for marching. Transferred sense of "forward motion" is from 1620s.
March: third month, c. 1200, from Anglo-French marche, Old French marz, from Latin Martius (mensis) "(month) of Mars," from Mars (genitive Martis). For March hare, proverbial type of madness, see mad (adj.). The the proverb about coming in like a lion, going out like a lamb is since 1630s.

Replaced Old English hreðmonaþ, the first part of which is of uncertain meaning, perhaps from hræd "quick, nimble, ready, active, alert, prompt." Another name for it was Lide, Lyde (c.1300), from Old English hlyda, perhaps literally "noisy" and related to hlud "loud" (see loud). It fell from general use 14c. but survived into 19c. in dialect.
marchen (n.): 1871, "German fairy or folk tale," from German Märchen, "a story or tale," from Middle High German merechyn "short verse narrative," from Old High German mari "news, tale," from Proto-Germanic *mærjo- "renowned, famous, illustrious" (source of Old English mære; see more (adj.)) + diminutive suffix -chen.
marchioness (n.): 16c., from Medieval Latin marchionissa, fem. of marchio "marquis," from marca (see marquis (n.)).
Marcia: fem. proper name, from Latin Marcia, fem. of Marcius, a Roman gens, related to Marcus (q.v.).
Marcionite (n.): 1540, early Christian sect, named for Gnostic Marcion of Sinope (c. 140), who denied any connection between the Old Testament and the New. They contrasted the barbaric and incompetent creator in the Old Testament, who favored bandits and killers, with the "higher god" of Christ. They also emphasized virginity and rejection of marriage. They flourished, especially in the East, until late 4c.
Marcomanni: name of a Teutonic tribe, from Latin Marcomanni, from a Germanic compound, literally "men of the border;" first element cognate with Old High German mark, Old English mearc "border" (see march (n.2)). For second element, see man (n.).
Marcus: masc. proper name, from Latin Marcus, Roman praenomen, traditionally said to be related to Mars, Roman god of war.
Mardi Gras (n.): 1690s, from French, literally "fat Tuesday," from mardi "Tuesday" (12c., from Latin Martis diem "day of the planet Mars;" see Tuesday) + gras "fat," from Latin crassus, "thick." Day of eating and merrymaking before the fasting season of Lent.
mare (n.1): "female horse," Old English mere (Mercian), myre (West Saxon), fem. of mearh "horse," from Proto-Germanic *markhjon- (source also of Old Saxon meriha, Old Norse merr, Old Frisian merrie, Dutch merrie, Old High German meriha, German Mähre "mare"), said to be of Gaulish origin (compare Irish and Gaelic marc, Welsh march, Breton marh "horse"). No known cognates beyond Germanic and Celtic. As the name of a throw in wrestling, it is attested from c. 1600. Mare's nest "illusory discovery, excitement over something which does not exist" is from 1610s.