A manciple /ˈmænsɪpəl/ is a person in charge of the purchase and storage of food at an institution such as a college, monastery, or court of law. Manciples were sometimes also in charge of catering more generally, including food preparation. The term comes from Middle English maunciple, taken from Old French, which in turn comes from the Latin mancipium, manceps, a purchaser of stores.