Origin: Latin suffix -ate
Manipulate has 7 different meanings across 1 category:
influence or control shrewdly or deviously
"He manipulated public opinion in his favor"
hold something in one's hands and move it
"The child carefully manipulated the small wooden puzzle pieces to fit them together."
tamper, with the purpose of deception
"Fudge the figures"
"cook the books"
"falsify the data"
maintain influence over (others or oneself) skillfully, usually to one's advantage
"She manipulates her boss"
"She is a very controlling mother and doesn't let her children grow up"
"The teacher knew how to keep the class in line"
"she keeps in line"
treat manually, as with massage, for therapeutic purposed
"The therapist manipulated her wrist to relieve the tension in her forearm."
To move, arrange or operate something using the hands
"She carefully manipulated the small gears to fix the broken toy."
In plain English: To manipulate something means to control it skillfully or to influence someone unfairly by tricking them into doing what you want.
"She learned to manipulate the camera controls easily during her first video shoot."
Usage: While often used to describe physical handling of objects, this word most frequently appears in abstract contexts involving people or information. Be careful not to confuse its neutral sense of "skillful control" with its negative connotation of deceitful influence.
The word manipulate is actually a back-formation created by removing the suffix "-ate" from the noun manipulation. Because its origin lies within English rather than being borrowed directly from another language, it does not have an original meaning in a foreign tongue to explain how it traveled here.