mane

mane — noun

1. the thick hair growing down the upper neck in horses, or around the head in lion

1.nounB2
Definition

the thick hair growing down the upper neck in horses, or around the head in lions, which is usually coarser and longer than the rest of the animal's coat.

Example

Felix carefully combed the horse's tangled mane in the morning light.

collocation: comb/tangle a mane

The lion's thick mane protected its neck during the fight with a younger male.

collocation: thick mane

Common collocations
  • thick mane
  • golden mane
  • flowing mane
  • tangled mane
  • horse's mane
  • lion's mane
  • brush a mane
  • comb a mane
  • toss its mane
Synonyms
  • crest

    a more general term for a tuft on the top of an animal's head, such as a bird's crest, but not as thick or long as a mane

  • forelock

    only the front part of a horse's mane that falls between the ears, not the whole neck hair

Usage Note

Usually refers to the natural hair of a horse or lion; for a trimmed or styled horse mane, terms like 'roach' or 'hogged mane' are sometimes used. The word 'mane' itself does not imply any particular colour or length.

Common Mistakes

The lion has a long mane on its tail.
The lion has a long mane around its head and neck.
a tail tuft is not a mane; the mane grows on the head and neck.
I brushed the mane of my dog after the walk.
I brushed the coat of my dog after the walk.
'mane' is only used for horses, lions, and similar large mammals with a distinct neck hair, not for dogs or cats.

2. hair on a human head that is unusually thick and long, so that it reminds the sp

2.nounB2
Definition

hair on a human head that is unusually thick and long, so that it reminds the speaker of an animal's mane.

Example

Maja's thick brown mane hung down past her shoulders in the summer heat.

collocation: thick mane (human)

Haruto ran his fingers through his dark mane to push it out of his eyes.

Common collocations
  • thick mane
  • wild mane
  • dark mane
  • long mane
  • mane of hair
  • tie back a mane
  • untamed mane
Synonyms
  • thick hair

    neutral, literal description without the animal comparison

  • flowing hair

    emphasises length and movement rather than just thickness

  • head of hair

    idiomatic phrase meaning a full, thick covering of hair

Antonyms
  • bald head

    complete absence of hair

  • thin hair

    hair that lacks volume, opposite of a mane's thickness

Usage Note

Always metaphorical or comparative — calling someone's hair a 'mane' strongly implies great thickness and often wildness or volume. Can sound slightly informal or admiring. Usually singular; 'manes' for human hair is very rare.

Common Mistakes

She has a short mane.
She has short hair.
'mane' for human hair only works with noticeably thick or long hair; short hair cannot be described as a mane.
His mane is getting thin.
His hair is getting thin.
'mane' suggests volume and thickness, so it sounds unnatural with 'thin'.

Word family

  • maned
    adjectiveC1
  • maneless
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe hair or feathers on an animal's head or neck, but each names a different shape and position. A 'mane' is the long, hanging hair on the neck of a horse or the head of a lion — it is thick and falls downward. A 'crest' is a tuft or ridge on top of an animal's head (a bird's crest, a lizard's crest) that usually stands upright rather than hanging. 'Forelock' refers only to the part of a horse's mane that falls forward between its ears — a small section, not the whole neck. 'Hackles' are the hairs along the back of a dog's or cat's neck that rise when the animal feels threatened. So a horse has a mane and a forelock (a smaller part of it), a lion has a mane, a cockatoo has a crest, and a dog raises its hackles when scared — you would not say a dog has a mane.

mane ↗crest ↗forelockhackles

Common collocations

Phrases

  • toss one's mane
  • shake one's mane
  • brush a mane
  • comb a mane

Prepositions

  • with a mane
  • mane of

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word comes from Old English 'manu', which goes back to a Proto-Germanic root *manō meaning 'mane, neck hair'. That root probably comes from an even older Indo-European word for 'neck'. Related words exist in many Germanic languages: Old High German 'mana', Old Norse 'mǫn', and Dutch 'maan'. The use of 'mane' for a person's thick hair developed as a vivid comparison in the 1800s, comparing a person's full head of hair to a horse's or lion's mane.