mannequin

Where does the word "mannequin" come from? It comes from Middle Dutch manneken, passing through French before entering English (1570s).

Mannequin’s story begins in Middle Dutch: manneken meant “little man.” 'little man'; Brussels' famous statue is the Manneken Pis. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in French as mannequin. An artist's jointed model, then a dressmaker's dummy. It reached English by 1570s as mannequin. First 'a little man'; the sense of a shop-window dummy or live model came from French in the 1900s. Today, mannequin means a dummy used to display clothes; a fashion model.

1. Stage 1 · Middle Dutch · medieval manneken "little man", 'little man'; Brussels' famous statue is the Manneken Pis.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1600s mannequin "artist's model; dummy", an artist's jointed model, then a dressmaker's dummy.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1570s mannequin "dummy; model", first 'a little man'; the sense of a shop-window dummy or live model came from French in the 1900s.