mana
mana Lexical Profile
mana Game Scores & Validity
• noun
In fantasy fiction and role-playing games, a quantifiable magical energy or resource used to cast spells and activate special abilities.
"The wizard drank a blue potion to restore his depleted mana before the final battle."
In Polynesian, Melanesian, and Maori cultures, an impersonal supernatural force, spiritual energy, or authority and prestige that can reside in people, spirits, or inanimate objects.
"The ancient carved staff was believed to hold the ancestral mana of the tribal chiefs."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'mana' (Polynesian spiritual power or magical energy in gaming) with 'manna' (the biblical food from heaven or any unexpected windfall).
• Rhymes for mana
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 19th century from Maori and other Polynesian and Melanesian languages, tracing back to Proto-Oceanic *mana ('thunder, storm, wind', and by extension 'supernatural power').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.