Definition

A small model of a human figure, often used by artists or in fashion design to display clothing.

Example

The artist used a manikin to practice drawing human proportions.

Conversation

Have you seen that new mannikin display at the mall?

Yeah, it looked really realistic and caught my eye right away.

I thought it was amazing how they styled the clothes on the mannikin.

Absolutely! It makes shopping so much more fun when they do that.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Mannikin originates from the Dutch word 'manneken', which is a diminutive form of 'man' (meaning man). The suffix '-kin' is a diminutive suffix in English, often used to indicate something small or cute. Therefore, 'mannikin' refers to a small man or a model of a human figure.

Memory Tip

Think of 'man' as a small version of a person, which is what 'mannikin' means — a small model or figure of a human.

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