Meaning

noun a customs document listing the contents put on a ship or plane

verb provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes

verb record in a ship's manifest

originFrom Middle English manifest, manifeste, from Latin manifestus, manufestus (“palpable, manifest”), from Latin manus (“hand”) + an uncertain second element. Doublet of manifesto.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0