[man.na] n [ME, fr. OE, fr. LL, fr. Gk, fr. Heb man] (bef. 12c) 1 a: food miraculously supplied to the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness b: divinely supplied spiritual nourishment c: a usu. sudden and unexpected source of gratification, pleasure, or gain
2. a: the sweetish dried exudate of a European ash (esp. Fraxinus ornus) that contains mannitol and has been used as a laxative and demulcent b: a similar product excreted by a scale insect (Trabutina mannipara) feeding on the tamarisk