Etymology: Probably partly (i) < Middle French, French manifeste, partly (ii) < Italian manifesto (compare manifesto n.), and partly (iii) < their probable etymon post-classical Latin manifestum, use as noun of neuter of classical Latin manifestus manifest adj.; in sense 1 probably also partly after manifest adj. or manifest v.With sense 1 compare post-classical Latin manifestum , c1100 in the sense ‘piece of evidence’; also Middle French manifeste action of making manifest (1587, perhaps after Spanish or Italian). However, in English sense 1 may well have developed independently after manifest adj. or manifest v. With sense 2 compare Middle French, French manifeste in the sense ‘written declaration of views, explanation of conduct, etc., by person or persons in authority’ (1574 in the letter of a French envoy in Venice); Italian manifesto , 15th cent. in the sense ‘public denunciation’, 1602 in the sense ‘political, artistic, etc. manifesto’, and 1618 in the sense ‘public written declaration’; and post-classical Latin manifestum , 899 in the sense ‘statement’. In sense 3a Middle French manifeste is attested once in 1365 in a document from Languedoc, probably as an isolated loan < Old Occitan manifest (compare post-classical Latin manifestum , 1348 in this sense in a French document); otherwise French manifeste is only attested from 1723 in this sense, after Italian manifesto which is 17th cent. in this sense. (It is unclear whether the French, Italian, and Occitan nouns (and similarly Spanish manifiesto , Portuguese manifesto ) developed formally as loans from the post-classical Latin noun, or as uses of the vernacular adjectives as nouns, or from the respective verbs: compare manifest adj., manifest v.)

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French manifeste (c1190 in Old French in sense ‘confirmed, proven’, 1262 in sense ‘visible, evident’) and their etymon classical Latin manifestus (early Latin manufestus ) caught in the act, flagrant, evident, unmistakable, probably < manus hand (see manus n.¹) + -festus , of uncertain sense, the second element also of infestus hostile, harmful (see infest v.²). Compare Old Occitan manifest (c1220), Spanish manifiesto (1220–50), Italian manifesto (a1250), Portuguese manifesto (14th cent.).

Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman manifester to reveal, demonstrate and Middle French, French manifester (c1120 in Old French in sense ‘to make known publicly’, late 14th cent. ‘to show’, 1408 ‘to make known by actions or words’; late 12th cent. used reflexively of a person, 1540 of a thing or quality; 1868 in sense 7, although earlier implied in manifestant manifestant n.), and their etymon (ii) classical Latin manifestāre to reveal, disclose, clarify < manifestus manifest adj. Compare Old Occitan manifestar (13th cent.), Italian manifestare (13th cent.), Spanish manifestar (1220–50), Portuguese manifestar (14th cent.; earlier mãefestar 13th cent.).