What does "mane" mean?
Longer hair growth on back of neck of an animal, especially a horse or lion.
Mane
/meɪn/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Longer hair growth on back of neck of an animal, especially a horse or lion.
- Grammar: mane is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bristle, capillament, cilium, coat.
- Useful contrasts: bare neck, no mane.
- Usage evidence: In the leaden backdrop of the dawn, the horseman stands in silence, the long mane of his horse, disheveled by the wind.
How to use "mane"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mane" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mane" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mane" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mane" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mane" is acting as name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bristle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mane", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Longer hair growth on back of neck of an animal, especially a horse or lion.
"Before they went to see Glinda, however, they were taken to a room of the Castle, where Dorothy washed her face and combed her hair, and the Lion shook the dust out of his mane, and the Scarecrow patted himself into his best shape, and the Woodman polished his tin and oiled his joints."
- 2 Eye dialect spelling of man. alt-of, pronunciation-spelling, slang
"Ayy, make this right, mane, stop at the light, mane"
- 3 long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's neck wordnet
- 4 Long or thick hair of a person's head.
- 5 growth of hair covering the scalp of a human being wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Part of a naval sword between the tang button and the quillon.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
bare neckno mane
Example
"In the leaden backdrop of the dawn, the horseman stands in silence, the long mane of his horse, disheveled by the wind."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mane"?
Common synonyms include: bristle, capillament, cilium, coat, crop, fleece.
How do you use "mane" in a sentence?
In the leaden backdrop of the dawn, the horseman stands in silence, the long mane of his horse, disheveled by the wind.
How do you pronounce "mane"?
Pronounced /meɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English mane, mayne, from Old English manu (“mane”), from Proto-West Germanic *manu, from Proto-Germanic *manō (“mane”), from Proto-Indo-European *mony-, *mon- (“neck”). Cognate with Dutch maan, manen (“mane”), German Mähne (“mane”), Danish man (“horse's mane”), Swedish man (“horse's mane”), Icelandic mön (“mane”).
Etymology 2
Dialectal rendering of man, as used in African-American Vernacular English.