E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Man’umit.
To set free; properly “to send from one’s hand” (e manu mittere). One of the Roman ways of freeing a slave was to take him before the chief magistrate and say, “I wish this man to be free.” The lictor or master then turned the slave round in a circle, struck him with a rod across the cheek, and let him go.
