etymology - Origin of the usage of "Man" as a word of exclamation


What is the origin of the usage of the word "Man" as a word of exclamation?



Man this curry is delicious!


Man my feet hurt!




Answer



It started as a generic vocative expression, like calling somebody "buddy" today -- the word meant "person", the sense of "adult male" came later. According to the OED, it started to switch over to being a more general interjection about 1823.


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