manekin
/maˈnɛ.kin/
The Polish word for a dummy (a nonfunctional placeholder) is manekin.
manekin refers to a deliberately nonfunctional placeholder.
Meaning: a deliberately nonfunctional placeholder (noun)
Which one should you use?
The informal term Głupek translates directly to dummy.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable: /maˈnɛ.kin/.
Did you know?
- In Polish, the term manekin can also describe a person who works as a professional fit model for clothing designers.
- If you use the word manekin to describe a person, you might be implying they are 'wooden' or lack life, rather than implying they are unintelligent.
- The word manekin shares a common ancestor with the English word 'mannequin', stemming from the Middle Dutch term for a 'little man'.
Examples in context
- Ten manekin w witrynie sklepu wygląda bardzo realistycznie.That dummy in the shop window looks very realistic.
- Sklep odzieżowy zamówił nowy manekin.The clothing store ordered a new dummy.
Example conversation
Katarzyna and Paweł are working at a clothing store.
- KatarzynaPaweł, gdzie jest ten nowy manekin?Paweł, where is that new dummy?
- PawełJest w kartonie w magazynie.It is in a box in the warehouse.
- KatarzynaPomóż mi go przynieść, proszę.Please help me bring it here.
- PawełOczywiście, już go niosę.Of course, I am bringing it now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry manekin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries manekin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
