Other forms: maniples
In the Roman Republic, a maniple was a military unit. A typical maniple was composed of 120 soldiers fighting in formations of three long lines.
In the Roman military, a large unit called a legion would be divided into maniples. These smaller groups of infantry fighters were well suited to navigating the hilly terrain of central Italy. This was a change from previous traditions of larger fighting groups, and the word comes from the Latin manipulus, "a handful of soldiers." A second meaning of maniple is a kind of sash worn by a Catholic priest, originally carried in his hand as a "handful."