'manslaughter' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'manslæht,' where 'man' meant 'human' and 'slæht' meant 'slaughter.'

'manslæht' transformed into the Middle English word 'manslaughter,' and eventually became the modern English word 'manslaughter.'

Initially, it meant 'the killing of a human,' but over time it evolved into its current legal definition of 'unlawful killing without malice.'