Definition of the word manhunt

The word "manhunt" originated in the mid-19th century in the American West, where it was used to describe the pursuit and capture of dangerous or wanted men. The term is derived from the combination of two words: "man," which refers to the person being hunted, and "hunt," which describes the active and deliberate pursuit of that person. The use of "manhunt" as a term became popular during the 1850s, a time when the American West was still largely unsettled and law enforcement was scarce. Many towns and territories relied on citizen posse comitatuses, or "community hunts," to capture outlaw men who sought refuge in the lawless wilderness. These posse comitatuses were formed from groups of volunteers assembled by local officials with the goal of tracking down and apprehending the targeted men. The popularity of the term "manhunt" increased in the following decades, particularly during the Wild West era when notorious outlaws like Jesse James, Black Jack Ketchum, and Billy the Kid were being hunted by lawmen and vigilante groups. The media, particularly newspapers, also played a role in the perpetuation of the term, as they would often refer to the pursuit of wanted men as "manhunts" in sensational, headline-grabbing articles. Overall, the word "manhunt" has come to be associated with high-stakes, high-profile hunts for dangerous criminals. Today, it is commonly used in popular culture, from police procedural shows on television to action movie scenes, to describe the pursuit of escaped convicts or fugitives.